


New Discoveries

by Zeelian



Series: The Eternal Universe - Children of the Shamarai [6]
Category: Fantasy - Fandom, Original Work, Science Fiction - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Mythology, Alternate Universe - Demons, Alternate Universe - Magic, Androids, Artificial Intelligence, Demon Courting, Demon Languages, Demon Law, Demon Realm, Demonic Bonding, Demonic Culture, Demonic Reproduction, Dubious Consent, Familiars, Heat Cycle Complications, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Non-Consensual Drug Use, Interspecies Sex, Magitech Drones, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Multi, Non-Humanoid Sex, Pack Bonding, Pack Building, Pack Dynamics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-08
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:53:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 50,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22615159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zeelian/pseuds/Zeelian
Summary: Settling into the Demon Realm and their new place within the Obsidian Palace Takeshi and his chosen family prepare to explore the new world before them, but as always the Fates have a few hurdles to throw their way.
Series: The Eternal Universe - Children of the Shamarai [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1414114
Kudos: 1





	1. Obsidian Reflections

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Obsidian Reflections_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“Em, can you make a few more tiered platters to put sashimi on?”  
Amanda was carrying a large, 5 tiered, serving platter made from Sanctuary crystal that was filled up with various shellfish.  
“Sure, how many do you need?”  
“Can you make like ten more of these?”  
“Okay. Will they fit the table though?”  
“We brought in an extra table so it's fine.”  
“Okay, will do.”  
“Thanks.”  
The entire pack was helping with preparing the meal to make sure there would be plenty enough food to feed Lucifer and his Majordomo in case the old angel wanted to join them.  
  


“Take, the sushi rice is done!”  
Nelly's soft call made Takeshi look up for a moment.  
“Hiro, could you finish up the rice please?”  
“Of course.”  
Takeshi had decided to use some of the Japanese sushi rice that he had added to the stores instead of the rice mix he usually used while in the Demon realm, he wanted to offer Lucifer some exclusive treats in the form of genuine 100% Human realm sushi.  
He knew that Lucifer liked the sashimi and sushi they made from Demon realm ingredients but he wanted to see how he liked the Human realm original, though since it lacked prana it would just be a simple treat, it wouldn't give any real nourishment.  
  


“This is quite insane...”  
Lucifer looked at the tables filled with food.  
“Well we **are** feeding quite a bunch of gluttons.”  
Emelie huffed with a wide smile, there was no mistaking her pride in the feast they had managed to put together.  
“Go on, have a seat.”  
She motioned for the seat at the end of the main table, it was designed to take the large wings of the Obsidian into consideration, and it was slightly larger to make sure it would be comfortable for Lucifer.  
Once Lucifer was seated Takeshi approached him with a huge, tiered, serving tray, each tier filled to the brim with various sushi pieces that were held in stasis to ensure they remained fresh, and maintained the correct temperature for optimal flavor and texture.  
“I made this for you.”  
“Oh, is that Human realm sushi?”  
“It is. I have been collecting this stuff for a while to be able to make you a nice selection.”  
“I hope it comes with a proper introduction to all the treats.”  
For a moment Lucifer looked somewhat overwhelmed by the sheer number of sushi pieces in front of him, which was quite understandable as there were nearly 100 different varieties, and each variety had 5 pieces to allow him to get a proper feel for the flavor and texture.  
  


“You know, I find myself forced to agree wholeheartedly with your pack's assessment of you when they say you are insane.”  
Lucifer's quip was accompanied by a wide smile.  
“Oh, I'm sure Yami, Kara and the others will be more than happy to have it if you don't want it.”  
Takeshi didn't miss a beat as he quipped back in mock affront.  
“♪♫!”  
Lucifer's alarmed chirp when Takeshi moved as if to take the sushi and move it to the floor made the entire pack break down laughing before turning on their alpha to scold him.  
“Take!”  
“Alpha!”  
“Don't tease Uncle Lucy like that!”  
Faced with his pack's mock scolding Takeshi quickly broke down laughing as well and took a seat next to Lucifer so he could explain what each item was.  
As he sat down and the inner, denser, layer of his aura that ran almost like a second skin around his body came in full contact with Lucifer's he could sense that something was off.  
“Amo, what's wrong? You feel tense.”  
“Sorry.”  
“Oh no you don't, tell me.”  
“I was planning to invite you guys to watch the approaching storm with me in my private observatory, but it would be such a shame to waste all the work you have put into preparing all this food and setting these amazing tables.”  
“Oh don't worry, we can just activate the crystal trays and put everything in stasis again then use the teleportation circles to bring it all with us.”  
Emelie quickly assured Lucifer that they could easily change the venue.  
  


“Mhm, where we eat isn't important.”  
“What matters is who we're with.”  
“We'd love to watch the storm with you.”  
“Picnic!”  
“Does the monsoon storms look that different from the usual night storms?”  
The reactions of the pack instantly washed the tension from Lucifer's aura and as he turned to Nelly to answer her question a soft smile made his stunning features glow.  
“Oh, the regular storms are nothing in comparison. And even these monsoon storms pale in comparison to thunder season at the Cinder Plains of Tailygo.”  
Everyone instantly knew they wouldn't be getting any help from Nelly to pack things up as she launched into an eager series of questions about the weather of the Demon realm, and it reminded Takeshi that he needed to talk to Lucifer about taking her to be exposed to some of the more unusual ones.  
“I believe you would enjoy it, it produces lightning quite unlike any other.”  
“Oh?”  
“Mhm, for instance there is red lightning that looks almost like the roots of floating pond plants, and blue lightning that fires into the sky like a dragon's breath, even expanding rings of red lightning. Sometimes there are glowing balls in the trees as well.”  
“That sounds a lot like TLE's and St Elmo's fire.”  
Now it was Lucifer's turn to be curious.  
  


“TLE, or Transient Luminous Event is what we call electrical events high up in the atmosphere, we have Blue Jets that fires into the sky from the top of the clouds, then we have Red Sprites, the one that looks like fine roots or tendrils, and Elves, the expanding red rings. St Elmo's fire are floating balls of luminous plasma created by corona discharges from pointy objects in strong electric fields.”  
“Oh, I guess you are already familiar with those then...”  
Lucifer was clearly disappointed that Nelly was familiar with the unusual lightning phenomena and quite clearly knew a lot about them, even more than he did himself.  
“Oh, I know about them and I have seen pictures, but I have never actually seen any of them myself, they are pretty rare and almost never witnessed, most information about them comes from weather satellites with high speed cameras and sensors.  
Lucifer was quite naturally not very well versed in Human realm technology, but he was a highly intelligent and attentive creature, as well as curious, and had several means of seeing across realms so he got the gist of what she was saying.  
“Do you think you could arrange for me to see this? Or is it a rare event?”  
“It's an annual occurrence, a true season. So if the pack agrees I would be happy to show it to you all“  
He quickly continued to explain that a full cycle of the seasons in Tailygo where the Cinder Plain were located lasted for about 15 moons and the Thunder season for roughly 1 moon.  
He couldn't help the soft chirp of surprise that morphed into a pleased warble as the young female kissed him with earnest gratitude and joy, she had clearly learned from Takeshi how to relay her feelings through a kiss.  
“Your mate has taught you well.”  
He quipped softly as he gave her a quick peck in return before rising and pulling her to her feet.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Obsidian Reflections_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“This view is amazing!”  
“You can see all of the Obsidian Halls from here!”  
As the pack arrived in the observatory they quickly moved to the railings and started looking around.  
“Actually, I can see all of the Obsidian Realm from here.”  
Lucifer slowly turned his head as he allowed his gaze to pan over his lands, assuring himself that all was well.  
“Damn, you have some serious eyesight...”  
Dan, who had gotten used to having the best eyesight in the pack quipped with a sense of awe.  
“I am a Seer, remember?”  
“Your eyes aren't silver now though...”  
The accurate observation made him nod with a soft smile, he appreciated the sharp wit of the young male.  
“Indeed they are not.”  
With a deep breath, savoring the subtle scents of his land Lucifer allowed his size to return to normal, a reminder of who he was.  
“I am also Lord of these lands, it makes me connected to them on a level that is hard to explain.”  
He was slightly surprised when Dan reached out for him with a gentle energy gathered around his hands.  
“May I?”  
Realizing that Dan was asking permission to try to touch and understand his bonds, seeking to try to understand the bond to the very land around them Lucifer nodded softly.  
“You may.”  
It wasn't the kind of bond that could be seen though, but if Dan wanted to try to understand he would allow it, the desire for knowledge and understanding was soothing instincts he hadn't even realized needed soothing.  
He quickly returned to the smaller form he used when interacting with the pack and settled down at the head of the table that was being prepared.  
When Dan began mumbling softly to himself as he explored the threads, touching each to make them light up and glow, Lucifer turned his attention away from the rather private musings and focused on the rest of the pack, and the offered food.  
  


The pack quickly offered comments about the various pieces of sushi on the large platters in front of Lucifer, each of them detailing their personal likes and dislikes and for once the young blessed male, Eric, was just as eager and active as the others, giving Lucifer a better sense of his personality, and he liked what he was feeling.  
“I was a bit hesitant about the raw fish and stuff at first.”  
“Understandable considering human susceptibility to the various taints that may be carried by prey animals.”  
“Mhm, but I really loved these.”  
Lucifer watched as Eric used one of the long serving chopsticks to indicate to a set of pieces that had obviously been at least partially flame seared.  
“The salmon and the eel are my favorites, but the tuna, scallops and mackerel are really, really good too. The others are okay, but not really my favorites.”  
While Eric spoke Lucifer sampled the favorite picks and hummed in appreciation, the flavors were well balanced and held a smoky sweetness from the searing process and the dressing that had been drizzled over them, and a hint of a pungent bite from the fresh wasabi.  
  


“What about you, which one is your favorite?”  
Lucifer turned to Takeshi and everyone was instantly paying attention.  
“Being Japanese I guess I should be saying _Otoro_ or _Chutoro_.”  
He pointed to the pieces topped with the fatty pieces of tuna belly.  
“But I would be lying if I did.”  
The pack huffed at their alpha's theatrics, but their energy was happy and expectant.  
  


“I'm partial to the _Gunkanmaki_ with various kinds of roe.”  
He pointed to the vaguely boat shaped pieces topped with roe from various marine lifeforms.  
“And my favorite is _Sakura Ebi_.”  
He pointed to another set of gunkanmaki, but these were tipped with tiny, whole, shrimps, the beautiful pink color revealing why they were called Sakura ebi, and the translucent bodies revealed that they were raw and very fresh.  
While Takeshi spoke Lucifer had been chewing on a piece of the pickled ginger that Takara had offered him with a whispered explanation that it would _cleanse his palate_ , letting him fully enjoy the subtle flavors of each type of sushi.  
Swallowing the flavorful bite he picked up one the pieces that Takeshi had indicated was his favorite.  
“They are quite beautiful.”  
“They are.”  
The soft agreement caused a few teasing quips, accusing Takeshi of being nothing but a big softy.  
“Oi!”  
The mock complaint was delivered with a soft smile that stirred all kinds of instincts, and emotions, deep within Lucifer's own soul.  
Sometimes he couldn't help marveling at how remarkably well the young male handled everything the Fates had thrown at him.  
  


When Lucifer first learned about the plans the Fates were making to try to restore the balance he had been furious, the idea of essentially crafting a being from the fragments of lost souls, placing it in a mortal shell and forging it with suffering had made him curse and rage at the powerful Avatars.  
As powerful as he was himself he was nothing in the face of the Fates, despite his own status as an Avatar with twin aspects he was not a Prime, and neither of his aspects were Cardinal aspects which placed him pretty far down the food chain compared to the Fates who were Prime Avatars of Cardinal aspects.  
Watching Takeshi as a child had only further cemented his disapproval of the course of action the Fates had chosen, when he saw how the death of the unit hurt the young mortal he had nearly denounced his gift of Sight but then he had seen Emelie come into Takeshi's life.  
He had seen the deep bond form between Takeshi and the young succubus, he had seen her awakening and the way Takeshi instantly rose to the occasion, how he developed as an alpha.  
There had been many hardships, and Lucifer knew that Takeshi's trials were far from over, but the Fates had managed to pull their strings to ensure Takeshi met his pack and lovers, ensure that he would have loved ones to support him when needed.  
Sensing flickers of concern in the auras of the pack he quickly pulled his mind away from the memories, and the darker emotions they elicited before the pack could pick up too much of it and ask him about it.  
  


Focusing back at the food he took the piece with the tiny pink shrimp on and using a piece of the ginger as a brush he added a few drops of the dark, salty, soy sauce before plopping it into his mouth and slowly chewing, savoring the way the subtle flavors blended.  
“Not just beautiful, but delicious as well.”  
He hummed softly as he enjoyed the slight hint of Takeshi's personal flavor from when he had shaped the rice using his hands.  
“Just like my precious Yalii.”  
He quickly leaned in and stole a kiss from Takeshi, who just smiled and returned the gesture with the usual power and passion in his flavor, though Lucifer could detect the first hints of the upcoming heat there as well.  
The flavor quickly had Lucifer reevaluating his self image a bit, he had always prided himself in being a patient creature, but the way the taste of his lover's approaching heat made him feel made it quite clear he had overestimated himself, and it was a sobering realization.  
It took some effort to force his emotions back under control and the somewhat questioning glance from Takeshi told him he hadn't succeeded entirely, as did Ylian's knowing smile, the shadeling was observant and wise beyond his years.  
With a soft sigh and a rustle of his wings he once again tried to focus on the offered food, and this time the eagerness of the pack pulled him along.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Obsidian Reflections_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


An eager call that sounded a lot like a chirp quickly had everyone's attention focused on Isabelle as Takeshi kneeled down next to her.  
“What is it sweetie?”  
A series of eager, chirping, calls followed, making her sound more like a panther than the lion she resembled so much, making Takeshi smile at her.  
“Belle sweetie, you know I don't speak baby Sphinx.”  
Isabelle was still learning to think and communicate like a human, and when excited she would often forget herself.  
 _“Flashing sky!”_  
Prompted by her silent words Takeshi and the others looked toward the horizon, and soon another distant flash was seen, still too far out for the sound to reach them.  
“Indeed, good spotting sweetie.”  
He could feel the energy of the storm approaching, and the bond shared with Nelly allowed him to tap into her weather based powers, giving a sense for the energies of the approaching storm.  
“It won't be here for another hour or so though.”  
Nelly spoke up with certainty which made the pack settle back down into comfortable companionship mixed with gentle intimacy.  
  


“Uncle Lucy, can we braid your hair?”  
Sarah and Maria had just finished braiding Takeshi's hair in the same style of micro braids that Jackal was wearing and were now looking for a new victim.  
The question startled Lucifer slightly, he never did care much about his hair, he kept it trimmed in a medium long version of the typical Obsidian style, which was a common style for most winged, intended to keep it from irritating the wings.  
The medium variety he wore ended just above the mashen, showing it off to the world as a sign of confidence in his power, the longer version that hid most of the mashen was usually worn by females and the less confident or less dominant, individuals, hiding the sensitive area from sight even if only slightly.  
“Okay. But please, can I see the ornaments you plan on using first?”  
“Of course. We don't want to add something that might mean something bad or too strange.”  
“As brilliant as your Alpha.”  
Lucifer quipped with a smile, Maria had accurately deducted why he wanted to have a look at any beads or ornaments they wanted to add to the braids, he didn't think there would be any reason to object to any of them though.  
The ones used on Takeshi and Jackal were all tasteful creations in metal, mineral and crystal, some of them charged with a hint of the energy of a pack member and others shaped to represent an aspect of their wearer's nature.  
“Thanks.”  
She offered him a happy smile before activating a spark of the green flames Eriko had gifted them with to bring in a box with several compartments.  
  


It quickly became obvious that the request to braid his hair into the style with a myriad of tiny braids wasn't something they had asked on a whim, judging from the multitude of bead designs such as tiny versions of his blade and crown they had been thinking about it for a while.  
“They are beautiful. You are quite talented.”  
“Actually, Julia did most of the crafting and Angel helped us visualize the designs..”  
“But you obviously supplied the designs, I can see your touch in them, especially you Sarah, you have talent.”  
Sarah instantly turned bright red when Lucifer complimented her talent.”  
“And you Maria, I believe you have simply not found the proper medium to allow your talent to blossom.”  
In an instant Maria was competing with her sister for the title of the best stoplight impression.  
It didn't last for very long though before she leaned in and brushed her lips along his jaw in gratitude.

“Any favourites, or ones you don't like?”  
“Not really, I trust your taste.”  
After a moment of consideration he reached out and tapped the section that held beads that looked like the fire in Takeshi's eyes.  
“I would like a few of these where they are easily seen.”  
“Would you like the beads to be really random, or more of a pattern?”  
“I think I prefer a balanced pattern. Remember, I'm a natural born flier, even a slight imbalance even if just such a thing as the weight of the beads could affect my senses while flying.”  
“So equal weight distribution, got it. Angel, could you give us an exact weight for each bead?”  
Lucifer smiled to himself when Maria dragged Angel into it, asking her to sort the beads based on weight.  
“Of course, precision?”  
“Point 1 grams should be enough.”  
“Okay.”  
“Thanks.”  
Angel quickly called on a few of her drones and began using their high precision sensors to check the weight of each bead, sorting them by weight and making sure that all beads with the same design had the same weight.  
Lucifer almost wanted to tell them it didn't need to be **that** exact, but it was obvious that Angel enjoyed being included so he didn't say anything.

“Too bad your hair isn't longer, you would look awesome in a long style like Take and Jacky.”  
Maria lamented softly while brushing his hair and carefully dividing it into gradually smaller sections to make sure the style would be even.  
On a whim Lucifer focused on his shapeshifting ability and willed his hair to rapidly grow until it was pooling around him, long enough to reach his ankles should he stand.  
“Oh...”  
“I may not be as versatile as you or Take, but I **am** still a shapeshifter.”  
For a moment Maria just hummed happily and began brushing his hair again.  
“Why do you wear it so short when you look much better with it long?”  
“Habit, convenience and a bit of cultural norm. Long hair can be quite irritating when flying and stray hairs tangled in the feathers is rather uncomfortable. And in Obsidian culture, and most other winged cultures, displaying your mashen for everyone to see is a sign of power and confidence.”  
“And hiding it signals insecurity or weakness?”  
“Indeed, but I'm a lord, I don't need to bother with such things.”  
The amused snort that followed sounded so much like Takeshi it made Lucifer chuckle softly and warn them that Takeshi was a bad influence on sweet little girls like them.

By the time the two girls were satisfied with the way they had his hair divided into sections Lucifer could hear the faint rumble of distant thunder, and he could smell the telltale scent of rain on the winds.  
The slightly nervous shift in the auras behind him as a fairly large bolt of lightning cut across the skies at the closest edge of the storm, much closer than the rest, gave him pause.  
“Do the storms still scare you?”  
“A bit.”  
“But not really.”  
“It's hard to explain.”  
“We know we are safe...”  
“But we can't help being scared...”  
They didn't stop braiding his hair while they spoke, using the task to distract themselves from their fears, they both flinched slightly though when a loud crack followed by echoing rumbles reached them.  
“You suffered through events that no child should ever have to face, such trauma is not easily healed, and the scars might never fully fade.”  
“We know.”  
“Maybe one day.”  
Lucifer could feel a flicker of attention from Takeshi, checking that the twin girls were okay with the approaching storm and it was followed by warm gratitude when he found them reasonably calm and focused on their task.

“Your alpha worries for you.”  
He spoke softly, not wanting to distract them from their distraction.  
“He always worries.”  
“You worry too.”  
“Alphas tend to.”  
Lucifer didn't deny their accusations of worrying.  
“We'll be fine.”  
He could feel hands brushing softly over his wings, a soothing gesture, and he carefully moved his wings slightly, accepting the touch and allowing easier access should they want to, but they just huffed and smoothed a few errant feathers before returning to the braids.  
Between agile fingers and wisps of magic they braided the long hair with remarkable precision and speed and beads were carefully added to make sure both sides of his new style were perfectly even.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Obsidian Reflections_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


As the first supercell passed several of the pack helped the guards do a quick survey of the Obsidian territory to make sure none of its denizens were in trouble and to see if any serious damage had been caused, but so far everything was fine so they returned to the observatory to wait for the second cell to roll in.

They had all settled down, using each other for comfort and support, talking softly and watching the storm rage outside, then a massive, dark bolt, almost black with purple edges, cut across the sky, causing the visitors from the human realm to fall silent.  
“Wow! I have never seen such a dark lightning bolt before...”  
Nelly was the first to speak up and her amazed tone had the demons in the observatory snickering a bit.  
“That wasn't a lightning bolt.”  
“But..?”  
“That was a prana bolt.”  
“It's somewhat similar to the superbolt of the Human realm.”  
Ylian explained in a soft tone.  
“So they are pretty rare then?”  
“Indeed, only the really strong storms generate enough energy to produce them.”  
“One day I would love to be able to actually study how this _Prana_ stuff actually works.”  
“Don't worry Bran, we intend to do our best to see to that you get a chance to do just that.”  
Takeshi soothed with a smile.  
“I'm far from an expert, but I believe prana acts in a way similar to your electrons, but on a different frequency, with a different charge."  
Ylian had been studying a lot to try to understand the differences between the Human realm and the Demon realms.  
“I think so too.”  
Munin added with a nod.  
“I can't tell without studying a Demon realm substance very closely on an atomic level, but I think matter here has additional subatomic particles that currently don't exist in our realm.”  
Takeshi found himself being the focus of everyone's attention.

“I didn't know you were into particle physics.”  
Bran teased with a grin, and avid curiosity sparkling in his aura.  
“I have studied quite a few different things to try to understand why the Human realm has so little prana, why the balance has shifted the way it has.”  
He sighed deeply.  
“To do that I need to understand what prana is. We see a lot of things here that seem to violate the laws of physics, but there is no such thing, we simply don't know all the laws, and the laws we do know probably don't work the way we believe they do.”  
“So, do you have a theory?”  
The total silence as Bran spoke was telling, everyone was every bit as curious as he was and didn't want to disturb them.  
“Our matter consists of Neutron, Protons, and Electrons, neutral, positive and negative.”  
“Mhm...”  
Bran just nodded.  
“Now look at it as math...”  
Takeshi paused, waiting for Bran to continue the line of thinking.  
“Neutrons as 0, then electrons negative, and protons positive...”  
There was uncertainty in Bran's voice, not quite sure what Takeshi was getting at.  
“Indeed, now expand those along the axis generated by the square root of negative 1.”  
For a moment Bran just stared at him, then he broke into a brilliant smile.  
“Of course! A third charge, maybe more, non-negative electrons, non-positive protons, true neutrons without charge balancing layers...”  
Everyone just smiled when Bran turned to Angel and began talking a a mile a minute, using her quantum processor brain to run calculations for a totally new line of physics, instantly taking Takeshi's vague theory and turning it into something tangible, seeking to disprove it, to find if it would hold as a proper scientific theory.

“So, we, as in humans scientists, have pretty much been trying to take a Kohs test without being aware that the pieces are cubes..?”  
Takeshi could feel Dan's pride when Eric spoke up, proving that he was far more perceptive than most gave him credit for.  
“Indeed, and probably in true black and white without grayscale, and without an image template to work against.”  
”Humans have done well with what they have.”  
Lucifer chose to speak up before Eric could respond to Takeshi's words.  
“Without access to prana you lost almost all of the magics that the Demon realm relies on for day to day life, and instead you invented your own that does not require prana.”  
“Technology...”  
Jackal quickly picked up the thread.  
“Indeed. We have some technology here, mostly basic mechanics used to augment prana operated items. Such as the cogs that rotate the reflectors of the lighthouse. Powered by base elements such as water, wind, fire and prana but operating on mechanical principles. Humans invented a whole new way of powering things.”  
Jackal hummed silently for a moment, then he tensed for a moment, and relaxed again.

“When I first heard that the Demon realm didn't have technology I thought it would be like the tribal villages, or remote areas of the Third World LDC's I had come across working as a mercenary.”  
“LDC? Third world?”  
Lucifer was quite confused.  
“Third World is a term used to describe less developed nations, ones that still rely on outdated technology and knowledge, often with inferior educational systems and strict religious systems, cementing their lack of knowledge. LCD means Least Developed Country and it's a term used to describe the poorest and most primitive of these, areas that lack all modern technology.”  
“I see...”  
It was a bit of a struggle to keep his wings from bristling at the somewhat insulting expectations of the Demon realm and his beloved Obsidian Halls.  
“But once I came here I realized it's not primitive, not in a bad way at least.”  
Jackal's soft words and rather apologetic smile instantly settled Lucifer's ruffled feathers and he settled back down to listen to the motivation he could sense would follow.  
“It's a simpler life, more in tune with the world around it. The solutions are different, but no less effective, and in some areas, far more effective. Like stasis fields and rune circles. Food kept fresh almost forever without needing electricity or harmful chemicals, near instant transportation of goods without pollution or needing to build roads.”  
“Yeah, this entire place is like zero waste and pollution.”  
Eric quickly agreed with Jackal.  
“Sure, I miss not being able to get on a dirt-bike and explore the place, feel the wind and the trill of the speed, but I would give that up in heartbeat to have the clean air and amazing nature.”  
Before speaking up Lucifer made a mental note to bring them to his private stable and teach them how to ride the more energetic mounts, like the Flame mares, but based on what Eric had said about going off the trails he would probably enjoy riding one of the climbing reptile species.

“Humans have found some very interesting ways to get around the lack of prana.”  
“Well, we are nothing if not adaptable...”  
“Indeed, your minds are quite the puzzle.”  
Lucifer's teasing tone earned him a few mock glares from the former humans.  
“I think their mortality makes them more flexible.”  
He found himself agreeing with Ylian's words and soon they were explaining to the pack what they meant.

The short lives and fragile mortality of humans compared to most demon species had the somewhat paradoxical effect of making them more alive, the culture of the long lived and near immortal demons tended to be somewhat stagnant.  
It could be seen even within the Obsidian Realm in the difference between the culture of the nobles and the hunters.  
The nobles lived safe lives, and due to that their development and culture had become more stagnant, while the hunters who lived more dangerous lives were far livelier and open to change.

Talking about the differences between humans and demons lit a familiar longing deep inside Lucifer's soul, he longed to set foot in the Human Realm again, even if it had changed beyond all imagination in the time since the _Fall_ .  
But the curse placed on him would not be broken until the day he entered into the bond of a soulmating, and a similar curse on his soulmate ensured that the soul would always be reborn a mortal human.  
By the time he shook the thought from his mind everyone was looking at him in concern.  
“I'm sorry, this is not something I'm ready to talk about yet.”  
“Will you talk to us when you are ready?”  
“I will...”  
The moment he had promised to confide in them when ready the energy of the pack changed and he found himself being pulled into their games.  
“The Hunters taught us the basics of Mallakuu, would you help us get better?”  
Iðunn and Eir looked at him with begging smiles that so reminded him of his own daughters and before he knew it he was teaching them his own little tricks while silently dreaming of little hatchlings that would be their half siblings  
It would not be an easy thing to accomplish, but not impossible with the assistance of a suitable host species, shadelings were one of the possible species and Ylian would probably be willing if asked, but they were planning to have a clutch soon so such suggestions would have to wait.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Obsidian Reflections_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


By the time morning came around the pack had retired to inner palace again, and the wing that came with Takeshi's new position as Lucifer's favourite.  
“I'm afraid I will have to leave you after breakfast again.”  
Lucifer helped unload the carts with food that the kitchen had brought them.  
“Another day in court?”  
“No, not during the monsoon, but I do have a staggering amount of paperwork to do.”  
The familiar complaint and sympathy groan from Takeshi instantly had everyone laughing and offering teasing comfort.  
“We will make sure to come by with tea at suitable intervals.”  
Amanda promised without hesitation, knowing that the pack would back her.  
“Maybe we could help?”  
“Yeah, maybe we can sort papers or something like that.”  
Takeshi's deep sigh when the pack volunteered themselves for desk duty caused another round of snickers and in the face of the reaction of the young alpha that he had grown to love Lucifer found himself accepting their offer of assistance.

“Why do you do this to your poor alpha?”  
Takeshi mock complained while they got ready to head out to Lucifer's office.  
“How about 'cause you tickle us?”  
Dan quipped with a smile, making Takeshi harrumph at the customary complaint, especially since he knew none of them really minded.  
 _“Such an odd pack...”_  
Relyn's soft warble made Lucifer turn to him with a smile and offer a chirp of agreement before gently scolding the guard for not speaking Urui.  
“Apart from the newcomers they all speak Obsidian just fine, and I'm pretty sure all of them understand it every bit as well as they do Urui.”  
“They probably do.”  
Lucifer agreed while giving Relyn a pointed look to which the young guard gave a slight nod with a knowing glint in the deep black of his eyes, he would not reveal just how good the pack was at learning new languages despite Emelie being the only one born in the Human Realm that possessed the demonic linguistic ability.  
“My loyalty to them is second only to my loyalty to you ♫.”  
The Obsidian title that Relyn had used was old, and rarely used, but it spoke of absolute loyalty.

“♫♪.” _  
_The sound of his soulname, spoken softly in mind instantly had Relyn's attention focused on Lucifer.  
 _“I am sorry for using your true name like this, but if it ever stands between my life, and that of my Amiara Yalii or his pack, I want you to protect them. Swear to me on you name!”_  
For a moment there was only shocked silence, then Relyn's soul submitted to the power of its name.  
 _“I swear.”  
“Thank you.”_  
There was a flicker of surprise at the heartfelt gratitude, then Relyn glanced at Takeshi and shook his head with a smile which made Lucifer reach out and smack the back of his head with the wrist of his wing.  
When Relyn retaliated by lowering his wing and arching it back and underneath Lucifer's wing and brush the feathers of his elbow just above his mashen Lucifer huffed at him and paused his step for just a moment, allowing Relyn's wing to come into full contact with his mashen.  
The moment Relyn realized that he was actually touching Lucifer's mashen he blushed pure obsidian and snapped his wing back into a very tight fold.

Lucifer had spent a lot of time thinking about Takeshi's words about the Blood Guard being his pack, and he had found himself unable to deny it, it may not be formal, but even such a small action as what he had just done soothed instincts that were buried so deeply he was barely aware he had them.  
And it felt good.  
He did feel a bit sorry for Relyn though, the young angel was clearly confused by the uncharacteristic behaviour, but being the youngest of the guards he was in a good position to deal with it, his mind and bond still flexible and more adaptable than his older colleagues.  
There was also the bond Relyn had with Takeshi, though played off as a temporary one Lucifer had no doubt it would remain as it was, or be deepened, and having such a bond to the young alpha would probably make Relyn more open to deepening their bond as well.  
The bonds Takeshi shared with his pack and his chosen family were very close, but in a gentle way that would pull even the most avid loner in.

“Setau-iero! Menna-iera!”  
The moment they entered the large study Amber bolted over to the Master Scribe and his mate and hugged them both tightly.  
“Amber-yan. It is good to see you again.”  
They greeted her with soft smiles before turning to Lucifer and bowing respectfully, then greeting the rest of the pack.  
They offered Meghan and the other umarita a quick greeting as well before Chagoo helped his mate usher the spawns into the garden where they wouldn't cause too much trouble.  
“Belle, why don't you take Leiia and join them?”  
Takeshi gave Isabelle a gentle nudge and Eric did the same to Leiia and soon the other creatures joined them in the garden as well, to play, or just be lazy.

Lucifer quickly got to work with working through all the documents that needed handling, and he soon found himself teaching the pack about the inner workings of running the Obsidian Halls, while it did slow things down it felt good to have the pack there with him.  
Relyn had settled down at the edge of the study though, most likely trying to digest what had just happened, but since his aura was calm despite the obvious confusion the pack let him be, Lucifer could tell that they were keeping an eye on his young guard though.  
The pack would no doubt step in if Relyn grew distressed.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Obsidian Reflections_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“Etiro!”  
It was the third day of the monsoon when the Master healer and the Commander of the Blood Guard burst into the study without knocking, that in itself telling Lucifer and the pack that something was wrong, their ashen face only cementing the knowledge.  
“♫?”  
Lucifer didn't bother speaking Urui any more, the two angels would be better able to tell him what was wrong in their native language.  
”♫♫♪♫!”  
“♫!”  
The rapid report, and the curse that followed instantly had the pack scrambling to leave, proving that they did indeed understand the language very well, most non-native speakers would have a very hard time keeping up when it was spoken as rapidly as the Commander had spoken.  
Ylian and the spawns shared one look before linking their energies together and siphoning power from the pack to bring them all though the shadows and moments later the welcoming darkness spat them back out to chaos.

The intense storm had caused a cliff side at the edge of the city to collapse, most of those living there had made it out, but a young girl was trapped inside, trapped too deep, too tightly for the shadeling who had helped rescue the others to dare try to get to her.  
“We don't have much time, her life is fading fast.”  
The healer spoke quickly before seeking out Lucifer's mind.  
 _“I don't think she will make it, her injuries are severe, and her mashen is crushed.”_  
To lose the ability of flight at such a young age would most likely kill her spirit, leaving her an empty shell of depression and suffering.  
Lucifer knew that the goal at hand wasn't really to save her life, but to get her out before she passed to allow her parents to say their farewells.  
 _“Don't give up on her just yet, she is young and resilient.”_  
Lucifer was somewhat surprised when Takeshi's mind brushed against theirs.  
 _“She is not fully grown yet, that combined with the power within my blood might just be enough to restore her mashen.”_  
Takeshi's offered hope had Lucifer redoubling his effort to manipulate the Obsidian of his land to create a conduit for Ylian to use to get to the girl.

The moment Ylian returned and altered his form to reveal the girl there was a gasp of horror at her injuries and Takeshi appeared at Ylian's side.  
Without hesitation he slashed his palm and placed the bleeding hand over the base of the crushed wings, forcing his regenerative power into the young angel.  
“There is a small chance that I may be able to restore her, but I can't do it alone. An injury like this will take more power than I can spare myself.”  
The reaction in the small crowd was instant, auras opening up to him, offering him to take as much as he needed and before he could say anything more Lucifer was at his side, offering his arm to him.

Lucifer noted that despite Takeshi not sparing power to use the Hunter's Lure there was very little pain as the slender fangs sank into his flesh and began to drink deeply.  
And while Lucifer fed his power into his blood he could feel Emelie reaching out for the open auras and taking as much as she dared, charging her own blood to the brim before taking his place.  
“Are her parents here?”  
“They are.”  
“Knowing their blood might be able to help me work more efficiently.”  
Moments later two black arms were offered to him as the parents kneeled down as close as they could without getting in the way of the healers who were working on stemming her bleeding and trying to puzzle together the shattered bones of her wings to make it easier to heal them.  
Ylian was doing their best to assist, carefully manipulating their body to put pressure on wounds, clamp blood vessels and support bones, keeping fragments in place.

After a while a slightly frustrated edge bled into Takeshi's aura and the pack grew concerned, but the healer seemed to know what was wrong.  
“He is wasting too much energy and focus on trying to figure out how a mashen is supposed to be, he needs guidance. He needs someone to be willing to let him dig his claws in to allow his energy to know them.”  
There was uncertainty, and quite a bit of remorse flowing through the crowd, they all wanted to help, but to allow someone as powerful as Takeshi to dig their claws into the sensitive base of their wings was a bit too much.  
Lucifer could see Hugin starting to move in to offer his own mashen, but before he could there was a rustle of wings and Relyn was kneeling next to Takeshi, offering himself.  
“I'm sorry, there is no way to make this not hurt.”  
“I know.”  
Relyn offered Takeshi a nod as he steeled himself against pain and moments later white searing agony tore through him as Takeshi's claws dug in deep, then flooded his mashen with power.  
He tried to stay silent, but he could feel the scream building and as the shrill cry tore from his throat he could feel Takeshi flinch slightly, but he remained focused on the task of healing the young girl.

When Relyn cried out in pain Lucifer moved slightly so he could wrap his wings around the screaming angel without disturbing the work on healing the girl and once he was supporting the young guard he reached out and whispered to his soul, calling on the power of his true name, ordering him not to feel the pain and moments later he could feel Relyn relax against him.  
“Thanks...”  
The soft murmur from Takeshi made Lucifer smile and brush his aura against his.  
“You focus on healing her, I will help carry the pain of the others.”  
Takeshi didn't answer, but there was a distinct set of determination on his features that told Lucifer that the young alpha would not allow himself to be distracted from his task.

The sun had begun to set by the time Takeshi carefully removed his hand from the mashen of the young girl and slumped to the side in exhaustion.  
“I think I managed to restore her mashen, but I don't know for sure, we can't tell until she has recovered enough to try to fly.”  
“You have done more than I have ever seen anyone do before.”  
Lucifer carefully moved and picked Takeshi up while allowing himself to return to his true size, cradling his exhausted lover in his arms.  
“Yalii, rest.”  
There was a brief moment of resistance, then Takeshi curled into him slightly and slipped into a deep sleep bordering on unconsciousness.  
“Come, we need to help him recover as soon as possible, he will need his energy for Tzadjukwen-yan's arashiri.”  
The pack instantly gathered around and offered teasing quips about their alpha and Lucifer marvelled at how calm they were, how total their trust in the strength of their alpha was.  
“Rest, food and blood.”  
Emelie spoke softly as he reached out with her tail and brushed the tip against Takeshi's face.  
“He has a knack for recovering quickly.”  
Dan reached up and cupped Takeshi's face for a moment before moving to usher the rest of the pack toward the wing that was their home.

“Come on love, drink your fill.”  
The ring on Emelie's finger glowed gently as she used the power of the geas bound within it to make Takeshi bite down and feed deeply from her blood without actually waking him from the healing sleep.  
Once she had given as much as she could and placed Takeshi back in the bedding Dan was at her side, and together with the males of the pack he guided her toward the largest bedroom, together they would feed the succubus, allowing her to recover so that she would be able to feed Takeshi again.  
“Netai, won't you join us?”  
Emelie's soft question accompanied by a gentle brush of her aura had Ylian snapping their head around in shock, not quite believing that the words had really been intended for them.  
“Yes, silly. You.”  
A moment later they were gone from their seat and the shadows at Emelie's feet darkened before Ylian solidified at her side and pulled her into a hungry kiss.

“You should eat something too, he took a lot of your blood.”  
Amanda's voice made Lucifer startle slightly, he had been deep in thought while keeping watch over Takeshi's sleeping form.  
“I should.”  
He agreed with a soft nod, accepting the tray with tea and the usual treats.  
“We will have a proper meal ready soon.”  
“Thank you little beta. But don't forget to rest yourself as well, you all gave a lot of yourself today.”  
There was a certain heaviness to the way Amanda took a seat next to him.  
“That girl... Is she going to be okay?”  
Reaching for the power within Lucifer attempted to peer into the tapestry of faith, at first there was darkness, then the light broke through and showed him a young family flying through the air and landing in a small garden.  
As they approached him he saw the black runes around the neck of the male, a brilliant green mating mark, and the fact that the child was male.  
He quickly realized that the adult female he was seeing was in fact the young girl his sight had sought, and that she was Relyn's mate, and he didn't miss the fact that Relyn still carried Takeshi's mark at a point in time that had to be at least two thousand years into the future.

With a smile he called back his power and nodded to the pack.  
“Yes, he repaired the damage, given time she will fly again.”  
“That's good.”  
“He would have been so sad if he had failed.”  
“Indeed, he would have been heartbroken.”  
Lucifer carefully brushed an errant hair from Takeshi's face, and they all smiled when he sighed in his sleep and leaned into the touch.  
Lucifer however was somewhat distracted, recalling what his sight had shown him, Relyn happily mated with a young, but fully fledged, son.  
It wasn't the mate, or the son, that had Lucifer's thoughts so captivated however, it was the armor he was wearing, it was the pure black armor of the Blood Guard, but on his chest a bold red mark was glowing, a Shamarai flower.  
The implications were undeniable, one day Lucifer would not only take a mate who was of House Shamarai, but that mate would be the one he would share his throne with.  
He shook his head to clear his mind and as an afterthought he offered the remaining members of the pack an apologetic smile.  
“I'm sorry. My sight sometimes shows me things that require deeper reflection.”  
“Okay.”  
“We will be quiet.”  
“Just warn us next time.”  
“You were so silent.”  
“We got a bit worried.”  
“And we really don't need **another** alpha to worry about.”  
Faced with the concerned scolding of the pack Lucifer raised his hands in surrender.  
“I will try not to worry you too much.”  
With his soft promise to soothe them the pack settled down to eat and rest while they waited for the others to return.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Obsidian Reflections_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


When Emelie returned she was glowing with power, barely able to keep it restrained, and she smelled strongly of peppermint, sex, the males of the pack, and Ylian, a mix that Lucifer found to be surprisingly enticing.  
She walked over to Takeshi and once again the ring glowed with Takeshi's power, urging him to respond to her.  
“Come on love, you need to replenish yourself.”  
As fangs sank into her neck she focused to retain her hold on the excess energy she was carrying, forcing it into her blood instead of allowing it to dissipate.

Lucifer watched silently as the pack worked together to replenish their alpha and he was slightly surprised at the strength they were all showing.  
The worked calmly and methodically to replenish Takeshi's power reserves, Lucifer had no doubt they saved enough to be able to protect themselves and their alpha though, but even after seeing the insane amount of power that Emelie had been controlling Lucifer knew that the true powerhouse of the pack was Takeshi.  
His reserves were deeper and he was able to channel far greater amounts of raw power, the young alpha's potential for destruction was frightening, with the right trigger he wouldn't hesitate to level cities with nothing but the innate fire of his soul.  
And Lucifer had a feeling the pack would be right there at their alpha's side, offering their own power for him to burn the world itself.

Once Emelie had no more power to spare for Takeshi she turned to Lucifer.  
“Could you carry him to the bath please? I don't want him to wake up and smell her blood on his hands.”  
“Of course.”  
He carried the sleeping body to the bathing chamber and once there the pack quickly removed Takeshi's clothes and Lucifer removed his own clothes before picking him up and moving into the water.  
Gentle hands carefully used demon soaps to clean Takeshi and a whisper of sea song allowed water to force every last trace of blood from the tight braids in his hair without the need to undo them.

When they returned to the den Lucifer noticed that Hiroto had set up the crystal instrument that Emelie had given him as a mating gift, he didn't recall it's name, but he had heard Hiroto play before and he was quite impressed with the sounds that the youkai could tease from the strings.  
The sounds that came this time were ethereal, soothing and carried a sense of intimacy that soon had the pack curled together around their alpha, resting calmly under Amanda's watchful eye.  
When Amanda began singing Lucifer felt a shiver down his spine at the subtle power in her voice and for a brief moment his own power rose to fight off her influence, but he forced it down to allow her to affect him and soon he found himself relaxing as well.

When morning came around Takeshi appeared to be back to his usual self, but Lucifer could tell that it wasn't entirely true, the aura felt as strong as always, but he wasn't as energetic as he would usually be, he was trying to conserve energy as much as he could while still projecting a strong front.  
“Amo, how are you really doing?”  
Lucifer could feel the moment Takeshi relented in the face of his concern.  
“My reserves are low, but nothing that a few days of rest and plenty of food can't fix.”  
“And plenty of blood.”  
Lucifer added with a pointed look.  
“And plenty of blood.”  
Takeshi agreed with a sigh, knowing that he was about to be offered Obsidian blood.  
Lucifer patted his lap before opening his arms and tilting his head to the side slightly in invitation and with another sigh the invitation was accepted and sharp fangs sank into his flesh.  
“According to my sight you succeeded in healing her.”  
He could feel a soft sigh of relief against his neck before the tension began to bleed out of Takeshi's body.

Lucifer allowed Takeshi to drain his reserves as much as he could possibly afford to spare before gently shaking his shoulder.  
“I'm sorry amo, I can't afford to spare any more of my reserves for you.”  
The fangs withdrew and a warm tongue darted out and healed the small punctures while also making sure not a single drop of blood was wasted.  
“♫...”  
Takeshi's soft whistle made Lucifer smile, then kiss him.  
“Even as weakened as this you still taste like power.”  
There was a soft growl in objection.  
“And passion.”  
Lucifer added after another kiss, earning him another growl, though a decidedly pleased one.

“How are your levels now?”  
Takeshi hummed a bit in response to Lucifer's question.  
“Angel, feel like helping me show Lucy how I'm doing?”  
“Of course. What do you need?”  
“I need a battery charge display.”  
“Oh, okay.”  
Angel took out a thin, rolled up, flex display from a hidden compartment and held it out for them.  
“Could you set the range to a million and add a black-line at 5, red-line at 20, yellow at 50 and green at 500.”  
“Right away.”  
The display changed to show what he had asked for.  
“So, if these are my energy levels the black-line shows the point where I'm no longer able to function.”  
“Where you pass out, like you did last night?”  
“I was probably around 6 or 7, I could have squeezed a bit more out of it but once I drop under 5 it becomes a very tough recovery.”  
“Because you would no longer be able to call on the abilities that increase your ability to draw energy to your reserves?”  
“Indeed.”  
“And where are your levels now?”  
Lucifer looked at the human technology with avid curiosity.  
“At about 30, I would prefer hitting 50 before going out, but I can function like this.”  
“So the red line is where you need to be to be able to function?”  
“Mhm, yellow to have enough reserves to take my pack and flee, and green to be fully operational and have energy enough for a proper fight.”  
There was a brief pause, then Takeshi's energies turned morose.

“I don't think I will be able to be Para like this...”  
Lucifer watched in surprise as Takeshi's mood rapidly spiralled into outright depression and he could feel the pack responding to the change in mood.  
“Ssh, easy. Yi wouldn't hold saving a child against you, and your heat is not quite here yet, we can still add to your reserves.”  
Lucifer tried to soothe Takeshi while the pack moved closer.  
“I am ready to spawn again and I would love to become pana during this heat, but I would never ask you not save someone just to conserve energy to become para.”  
With Takeshi still in his arms Lucifer watched in silence as the pack supported their alpha, and he grew determined to make sure that the pair would have all the energy they needed for a strong spawning.  
 _“Ylian, how are your reserves?”_  
The silent question was met with a hint of surprise, then a hint of amusement.  
 _“About half full, my dear alphas refused to allow me to give any of it.”  
“There are a group of prisoners in the dungeon awaiting execution, including a pair of shadelings, they are all yours to consume if you want to increase your reserves.”_  
It wasn't how it was usually done, but it was within Lucifer's domain to alter how a condemned prisoner was executed.  
 _“I intend to arrange for a nice boost for him as well.”_  
Lucifer quickly added, sensing Ylian's hesitation.  
 _“In that case, Itadakimasu as he would say.”_

Once the pack had dragged Takeshi away for more food Lucifer called for his majordomo and cancelled work for the day, instead writing up a pair of missives to be sent out, one for Lilith, and one to be announced to the city.  
Lucifer called upon his subject to allow Takeshi to feed of them to recover what he had spent on saving one of them, he knew the fliers would be easily swayed, the others would probably be pulled in as well, meaning there would no doubt be a lot of visitors coming in.

“Take, I would like to bring you and the pack to one of the small central gardens.”  
“Why?”  
“I have asked the city for volunteers to allow you to feed from them to replenish what you spent to save one of them. And the garden I have in mind would allow you to rest while also being easy to defend, serving well as an audience hall to allow them in one at a time.”  
“Oh, okay...”  
Takeshi was quick to agree which told Lucifer a lot about how much he wished to become para again as the first instinct of an alpha in the face of weakness was to lay low, keep the pack in a familiar, defensible, position and recover.  
“Don't worry, the Blood Guard will be there to help keep the pack safe, as will I. I will not leave your side until your reserves are back to what they should be.”  
Takeshi didn't respond with words, instead Lucifer found himself being kissed, and through that kiss he could feel a deep sense of gratitude, and love.

The entire day a steady stream of citizens came to offer Takeshi their blood, and many brought food and drinks for him and the pack as well, the Wind runner that had been sent out to Lilith had returned just after midday with a missive from Lilith telling Lucifer that she, and an entourage of powerful demons, would be arriving sometime during the night to feed Takeshi.  
“Thank you little wind.”  
The runner blushed vividly at the praise, she was the fastest of her kind, but being very young she had been surprised at being entrusted with such an important missive.  
“Go on, join them, eat your fill.”  
“Thank you Etiro.”


	2. Necessary Evil

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Necessary Evil_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“Nana!”  
The moment Lilith entered the barrier of the garden so that she could be felt by those inside Emelie bolted up from her seat and vanished in a shadow only to appear a moment later in Lilith's shadow and hug the ancient creature.  
“Hello my sweet little girl, how are you?”  
“Better now that you're here.”  
The moment Lilith let go of her she took a step back and kneeled down with her wings spread in submission.  
“Lilith-etira, Shosha, would you be willing to permit my soulmate to feed of your power to replenish the power used to save a life so that he and my Netii can attempt a spawning this heat?”  
Emelie's startled confusion when Lilith began laughing had the old demoness patting her head.  
  


“Of course, that is after all why I am here.”  
“How? The Fates?”  
“No, something far more mundane.”  
Opening a simple bag she was carrying Lilith poured a pile of scrolls in various sizes on the neared table.  
“I have received quite a few missives today, all kinds of formulations, all asking for the same thing you just did.”  
“Thank you Nana...”  
“I can't have that yinti of mine miss an opportunity to carry another clutch of grand-babies for me, now can I?”  
There was something in the teasing glint in Lilith's eyes that told Emelie that she knew about what she and Ylian had done the previous night in order to generate energy for Takeshi to feed on.  
“You know, don't you?”  
“Mhm. I've had a feeling for a while that you would end up there, and the way yi's energy blends with yours tells me yi has at least fed you.”  
“It was more than just feeding, I'm not sure what, but definitely more.”  
“Yi is quite the specimen, one of the finest shadows I have given birth to. Not the strongest, but an amazing heart and a brilliant mind.”  
Lilith's words just made Emelie blush even brighter as they walked back into the den area where the others were resting.  
  


“What am I to do with this mate of yours Em?”  
Lilith walked up to Takeshi with a smile.  
“So eager to spend your reserves to protect and heal that you have nothing left for making more little lilim for me.”  
With a spark of her own power she made Takeshi's aura rise in response and began examining it while tisking and tutting at what she found.  
“You definitely need a few good feedings before your heat begins, and maybe a few after that too...”  
As the energies she used to make Takeshi's aura rise held a clear edge of challenge he flashed her a very sharp set of fangs and there was a hint of a snarl distorting his features.  
“Oh my, what a grumpy alpha...”  
Lilith's tone was light and teasing, not the least bit bothered by the snapping fangs.  
“He's just hangry.”  
The pack was equally unbothered by their alpha's behavior.  
“Oh, in that case I have just the thing.”  
With a smile and a flash of power a large body appeared on the ground next to Lilith.  
“Damn, that is one fugly...”  
Dan tilted his head slightly trying to figure out what the offering was supposed to be.  
“Porcumoraypede?”  
His classification of the creature broke Takeshi out of his display and moments later he was laughing and looking at Dan, silently asking him to explain his naming.  
“Well, it has like a million quills, long snake body, a whole lot of bug legs and a mug only a mother could love...”  
With Dan's description Lilith erupted into brilliant laughter as well.  
  


“Go on alpha, eat.”  
Takeshi gave the creature a rather suspicious glare, and a not so subtle sniff.  
“If you skin it you should find that the meat is quite delicious. But do keep the bones, legs and quills, if cooked in boiling water they will eventually soften, and both they and the broth are highly nutritious.”  
“Don't worry alpha, we will prepare it for you, you just go back to being lazy.”  
The soft surge of gratitude over the bonds has everyone smiling, and Lilith was cooing at him as she joined him in the pile of pillows.  
“How about you have a drink while you wait for some proper food?”  
She tilted her head slightly, offering him her neck.  
“...”  
“Don't worry, I will make sure you don't jump anyone while influenced by the haze.”  
“Thanks...”  
He trailed a few kisses over the soft skin, allowing the power of the Hunter's Lure to flow freely, knowing it wouldn't affect the powerful creature any more than she wanted it to.  
“Oh you want to add a bit of spice do you?”  
“I wouldn't mind.”  
For a moment his entire demeanor was soft and somewhat longing, then the energy shifted and he gave her neck a teasing nip and a few moments later he could feel clawed hands starting to remove his clothes which he took as invitation to do the same, Lilith had clearly decided that sex was on the menu this time.  
  


“Nana, I thought were supposed to feed him, not fuck him...”  
Emelie grumbled with a soft sigh when she returned with a tray piled high with meat from the creature Lilith had brought, the indulgent smile belied her words though.  
“Oh, just adding a bit of spice.”  
Lilith hummed with a smile.  
“And what about you dear mate? Why do you insist on screwing my relatives?”  
"What? I can't have some pleasure with my business?”  
The totally unapologetic reply made Emelie laugh and tut at him.  
“How about you finish her off and have some proper food instead?”  
The low whine that followed was quite telling.  
“I know you want more blood, that the haze sings to you. But you have barely had any solid food to go with all that blood, you know what that does to you.”  
The soft yelp from Lilith when Takeshi focused on pushing her into the abyss caused a few teasing snickers and it didn't take long before she fell, and Takeshi joined her moments later.  
He took a moment to gather himself before retracting his fangs and gently licking the wound, making sure not to waste a single drop of the blood that was burning with power, he didn't bother with trying to heal her though, she would heal when she wanted to.  
Instead he just pulled her close and kept licking away the blood until the bleeding stopped.  
  


“You are fortunate.”  
Lilith's words pulled Emelie away from keeping an eye on Takeshi while he made short work of the huge pile of meat.  
“He is a most generous lover...”  
“Yeah, I couldn't have wished for a better mate...”  
“But?”  
“It scares me sometimes, his willingness to risk himself for others.”  
“It's natural to fear losing a loved one.”  
“I know he wants me to keep going should he fall, but I don't think I can. Even with all the bonds I have forged.”  
The hint of shame in her aura had Lilith tutting at her.  
“My sweet little lilim, he is your soulmate. There is no shame in feeling that way. Few survive such a loss.”  
“I know. I would hate it, but I would still try.”  
“Because it is what he would want you to do.”  
“For him, to protect what was his, to protect the pack.”  
“There is no doubt that you are a true Alpha.”  
“Not yet though...”  
“Not yet, but soon. I can feel it stirring within you, I think we will see your first true heat during your stay here.”  
Emelie's somewhat somber mood instantly shifted into joy hearing that her true awakening was almost there.  
  


“Did you enjoy the snack?”  
Lilith's teasing smile earned her a flash of fangs, but this time there was no rise in his aura and no snarling.  
“I did. It was as delicious as it was ugly, and I can feel that there was a lot of power in it.”  
“Indeed, they are near impossible prey, but they are greater demons with a keen understanding for sacrifice, this one gave itself up willingly.”  
Lilith's words gave Takeshi pause, the idea of having consumed a sapient creature not sitting very well with him.  
“Ssh, it's okay. She gave her life willingly, understanding the sacrifice to heal a child.”  
Takeshi nodded softly in understanding, though he was not all too happy about it.  
“If there is anyone to thank in her stead, please do so.”  
“I will.”  
Lilith paused for a moment, then she stepped up and embraced him, wrapping her wings around him.  
  


“I know, I understand that you find consuming a greater demon to be distasteful. But the energy you need cannot be gained from a lesser creature.”  
She could feel that he was still struggling with it.  
“I'm sorry I didn't tell you beforehand, but I did not want to risk her sacrifice being in vain. She gave her life knowingly and willingly to help restore what you spent to save that little fledgling.”  
“Damn, now you're making me feel bad about calling it, her, ugly...”  
There was a deep sense of remorse in Dan's voice over having called the creature, who had willingly given her life to feed Takeshi, ugly.  
“Oh don't worry about that, they truly are as hideous as they are dangerous, but they are also kind and caring. Noble creatures.”  
“Sounds a lot like someone we all know and love.”  
Jackal quipped with a grin.  
“Oi! Who do you think you're calling noble?”  
For a moment the small garden was dead silent, then everyone broke down laughing, everyone except Lilith who managed to look totally bewildered at the fact that he complained about being called noble, but not about being called hideous.  
  


“I don't like the connotations of superiority that goes with the word...”  
Lilith nodded in understanding.  
“Can't say that that surprises me.”  
She offered with a teasing smile before turning to Isabelle and Takara to engage them in games so that the others could curl up and rest, Takeshi did notice Dan sneaking off to the kitchen area though.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Necessary Evil_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


When Dan returned he was carrying an oily black carapace piece, a pile of quills and a handful of wicked looking fangs.  
No one said anything as he sat down at one of the tables and made a few simple crystal tools and started to work the items he had brought, they were all very curious though.  
Soon he had two small plates cut out of one of the carapace pieces and decorated them with a few quills and a pair of the fangs.  
“Do you know her name?”  
He gave Lilith an expectant look.  
“Yes, but her species are telepathic, her name can't be translated into any language you would be able to grasp.”  
Dan stepped up to Lucifer without hesitation.  
“Will you place this in that grove you were going to make?”  
Lucifer took the piece of carapace and looked at it in silence.  
“I know she wasn't there or anything like that, but she gave her life to help Take recover after saving that girl...”  
“Indeed she did.”  
Lucifer shared a glance with Takeshi before continuing.  
“We will go place it in the Reilin Grove once you have had a chance to rest a bit.”  
The pack quickly agreed, but Dan wasn't quite done yet.  
  


“Take, for the Hall of Heroes we are building in Honolulu...”  
“Of course.”  
Takeshi didn't hesitate either as he took what essentially was a commemorative plaque and a few moments later it vanished into his shift.  
“If any of her energy goes into the spawning maybe we could make something from this for them to carry?”  
Ylian's suggestion instantly had Dan smiling and agreeing before making a crystal box to store the remaining carapace pieces and quills in.  
“Maybe use them to make naming day gifts?”  
Takeshi's addition had Lilith wide eyed and when Ylian agreed with a nod she shook her head and muttered about how they were the strangest creatures she had ever come across.  
“But you are also some of the most honorable and purehearted I have ever known.”  
She smiled softly as she stepped up to Dan and kissed him softly, leaving him a spluttering mess.  
  


“Nana, you're not supposed to break my mate.”  
Emelie teased softly, well aware that Dan would snap out of it once he was done processing.  
“He looks like he could use a reboot...”  
Angel's amused quip had everyone snickering and agreeing.  
“I think I have an idea what might help.”  
Jackal sauntered over to Dan and grabbed his head before silencing his garbled mumbling with a searing kiss.  
For a long moment there was no reaction at all, then a few owlish blinks were followed by Dan snapping out of his stupor and retaliating with fervor, stealing Jackal's breath away.  
Once Jackal was good and breathless Dan moved on to the rest of the pack which soon had Emelie, Lilith and Marakell basking in the sexual energy generated.  
  


“Marakell of Duneii, you are looking quite healthy.”  
Lilith hummed softly while prodding Marakell's aura, testing his strength.  
“My power is fully recovered Shishisha.”  
“Please, call me Nana like the others, or Shimi if you are more comfortable with that.”  
“I will try to remember that, Nana.”  
“And how is your spiritual recovery coming along?”  
“I'm better, but it's a long road.”  
“You know, you should invite your pack to visit, they all miss you.”  
“I surrendered my pack to my betas, I have no claim...”  
Marakell's voice softened with emotion, a deep sense of longing at the forefront, but there was regret tempered by determination as well.  
Marakell was convinced it had been the right thing to do, but that didn't mean he didn't regret having to leave his pack.  
  


“You should know that they have fought off every Alpha attempting to claim them. Those who have tried to take advantage of their heats only found death as their reward.”  
“What?!”  
“They intend to be there waiting for you when you are ready to return to them.”  
“But I can't, I am First Champion to the Seer Miri, I am bound by the Seer's Accords.”  
“That you are, and nowhere does the accords prevent you from having a pack. As long as your pack is aware, and accepts, that your oath places your Seer first.”  
“Knowing them they would swear themselves to the Accords without hesitation...”  
Marakell grumbled with a smile, his pack had been small, but loyal.  
“Would that be such a bad thing?”  
Lilith brushed clawed fingers against her great-grandson's face with a soft smile.  
“No... But I'm not ready...”  
“When you are, they will be there waiting for you.”  
For a moment Marakell sat in silence, remembering his own young pack, then he broke into a wicked grin.  
  


“So the runt and the rascal have been kicking alpha ass have they?”  
“Indeed they have, they have grown into fine betas, clever and strong. Your little runt is still small, but the last time an alpha tried to claim her during her heat she blasted him with a flare that burned a swatch a full _Lemu_ wide and almost 3 lemu long.  
“Laai...”  
“Uhm, how much is a lemu?”  
Amy's soft question had Lilith looking a bit confused, unsure how to translate the measurement into one that was relevant for the human realm.  
“A lemu is almost exactly 50 meters, and the plot of land given to a demon when they reach their ramhiri is one _Raleru_ which is 25 _Leru_ , and one leru is a square lemu.”  
Ylian calmly translated the measurements into metric and added a small lesson about demon culture.  
“Do all demons get this land?”  
“No, not all territories have the same traditions about giving land to their citizens once they reach their ramhiri, but most do. One raleru is usually enough land for a demon to keep some livestock and grow enough crops to survive. But most combine it with hunting and fishing.”  
“What about demons that don't eat meat?”  
“I don't know how common it is, but I know that several territories will grant those an additional raleru of land as they are more dependent on the crops produced.”  
“Do they get that here?”  
“I haven't read the Obsidian laws about land so I'm not sure.”  
Ylian gave Amy an apologetic smile.  
  


“The Obsidian Halls grants 1 raleru to all citizens, one additional raleru is granted to herbivores, and an additional raleru is granted to mated pairs, 2 if they are both herbivores.”  
Relyn gave them some details about how land was handled in the Obsidian Halls.  
“So a pair of mated herbivores would have 6 raleru of land?”  
“That's right. There are a few ways to gain additional land as well, for instance packs can request to have their land consolidated, and that is usually encouraged by offering additional land.”  
“Because a single large farm is easier to manage than several small ones?”  
“Mhm.”  
With that the conversation quickly splintered into several topics ranging from demonic farming techniques which had Meghan very animated, to various aspects of demon law with extra focus on the laws of the Obsidian Halls.  
It was barely noticed when various lilim joined them one by one to feed Takeshi, though each of them received a gentle brush of auras as they left, relaying the gratitude of the pack.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Necessary Evil_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“Take, it's time.”  
  


The moment Roghan's voice was heard from the crystal cluster the pack was spurred into action, quickly gathering a massive amount of snacks and placing them in a teleportation circle before sealing them in a stasis field to make it easy for Takeshi to bring them to the secure location where he, Emelie and Roghan would be tending to Wen's heat and arashiri.  
  


“Take, how are your reserves?”  
Emelie was still slightly concerned.  
“Don't worry, I'm almost full. I have plenty of energy to give Ylian for a spawning even if my heat is triggered by Wen's.”  
“Good.”  
She quickly turned to Ylian.  
“What about you?”  
“Same here, and I will be going down to the jail today for another meal.”  
“Don't worry Em, we are all set.”  
The pack hummed in agreement with Dan.  
  


Due to Takeshi's heat being so close there was a risk that Wen's heat might trigger his so the pack had made arrangements to evacuate those who were leaving at a moments notice, and they had made sure they had everything needed to stay in seclusion for a few days.  
Once past the peak of his heat he would be able to remain in control, but they had no intentions of making him go through the strain of controlling himself, instead they would stay sealed in so that he could let go and focus on making Ylian pana again.  
  


“You go take care of Wen and don't worry about us.”  
“Indeed, trust your betas, they are strong and competent.”  
Lucifer added with a smile, he would be helping the pack stay centered in case the lack of an alpha present caused any issues.  
“Take, I made these just in case.”  
Amanda handed him a large box with a selection of wagashi treats.  
“The light purple ones are shiiza leaf, the dark purple also has berries and orcha, the white ones has a heat suppressant and the green ones contains a mixture of herbs that induce a light euphoria.”  
“And the black ones?”  
“They contain a general analgesic and healing accelerators.”  
“Thank you love.”  
Takeshi breathed a sigh of relief as he took the large box.  
He didn't like the idea of using substances to aid what had to be done, but rather that than having Wen distressed, or in pain.  
Unfortunately they had no choice but to go through with it, Wen's heat would kill her if she didn't have sex, and there was no way to prevent her from going into heat or even delay it.  
As much as he hated even the idea of what he had to do he would do it simply because Wen had asked him to be the one to do it.  
Nothing else was said before Takeshi and Emelie vanished into the shadow.

“I really hope it all goes well...”  
Dan sighed softly once they had left.  
“Mhm...”  
“They will be so heartbroken if it doesn't.”  
“And Take will be blaming himself.”  
“Now now, don't you trust your alphas?”  
Lucifer half scolded, half teased, trying to lift the mood of the pack a bit so that their alphas wouldn't sense their worry.  
“We do trust them.”  
“But we also know that things don't always go the way we want them to.”  
“That is true.”  
Lucifer surrendered in the face of the pack's absolute trust, and valid concern.  
“Uncle Lucy does have a point though, we should try to focus on the trust and not let them sense that we are worried, 'cause then they will start worrying even more than they already do.”  
Amanda's soft words were met with agreement and determination as the pack set out to keep themselves distracted  
  


Meanwhile Takeshi and Emelie stepped out of the shadows in a different part of the Obsidian Palace where Roghan and Wen were waiting for them.  
  


“Hello Wen-yan, how are you feeling?”  
Emelie gave the young demoness a tight hug while Takeshi set the box of treats on the low table by the huge pile of bedding in the small hidden garden.  
“Agitated...”  
“Don't worry, that's perfectly normal, especially the first time.”  
Takeshi soothed her but he didn't touch her yet as he could feel a rather potent energy similar to seduction radiating from her.  
“Wen, I know your instincts are telling you snare me, to use your power to pull me in and make me sate your needs.”  
She instantly blushed, but the power didn't recede.  
“I need you to try to rein it in, I need control to make sure I don't cause you any unnecessary pain.”  
Reaching out for her he gently put his hand on hers.  
“But I'm afraid that no matter how much control I have, some pain will be unavoidable.”  
While he spoke the intensity of the power lessened a bit and Wen nodded with a somewhat shy smile.  
“I know. I'm small, and you're not...”  
“No, I'm definitely not small, even for my size I'm fairly large.”  
He added a hint of a teasing tone and smile to see how Wen would react and while she did blush a rather interesting shade of purple she was mostly curious and a bit nervous.  
  


“What's in the box?”  
It didn't take long for her youthful curiosity to get the better of Wen.  
“Manda made some special treats for us.”  
“Oh?”  
Takeshi opened the box and showed her the contents.  
“The purple ones have shiiza in them. The green ones have herbs that makes you feel happy and energetic. The white ones can help suppress the effects of a heat a bit, but those are mostly meant for me since I'm pretty close to my heat so yours might set mine off.”  
Wen just nodded that she was paying attention.  
“The black ones are made to numb pain and aid healing.”  
He picked up one of the light purple ones and offered it to her.  
“This is made with young shiiza leaf, they will have a very subtle, calming, effect.”  
“What about the other ones?”  
“They have mature leaf, ripe shiiza berries and a bit of orcha so they have a much stronger effect.”  
“Oh, no manashii?”  
Roghan quipped with a smile, recalling the treats that Lucifer had tried to trick Emelie into eating the first time they met.  
“What?”  
Wen's confusion when both Takeshi and Emelie began laughing earned her a few stories about their first visit to the Obsidian Halls and soon she was laughing as well.

While they spoke Takeshi gently played with Wen's hair and brushed his fingers down her back to calm her down and get her a bit more accustomed to his touch while also encouraging her to touch him, but it wasn't without issues.  
Wen's keen senses quickly picked up on Takeshi's mixed feelings and reactions, and being young and somewhat insecure she reacted as so many teens would, by blaming herself.  
“What am I doing wrong?”  
“Ssh, you're not doing anything wrong sweetie.”  
“But you're...”  
“It's not your fault.”  
Takeshi gave Emelie a pleading look, begging her to explain to Wen why he was having a hard time.  
“Wen, the reason Take is reacting the way he is is because he is conflicted about your youth.”  
“...”  
“You may be physically mature enough to go into heat, but your mind, your spirit, is not really ready. A natural heat usually won't trigger until you are fully mature, especially in species like yours where it's deadly not to give in to the heat.”  
“But mine was force triggered before I was ready...”  
“Exactly, but our instincts are still telling us that you are too young, and that can be very hard to fight against.”  
“Because he is an honorable and caring alpha.”  
“Indeed.”  
“I'm sorry...”  
“No Wen, don't apologize, this is **not** your fault.”  
Takeshi instantly snapped at Wen's soft apology, assuring her that none of it was her fault and that she had nothing to apologize for.

“Em, could you show me how to..? What he..?”  
Wen's deep purple blush and stuttering made Emelie smile at her.  
“I can give you a few hints, but the point here is for you to learn how to figure it out on your own.”  
“Hints?”  
“Mhm.”  
“Like?”  
“Take is strong, resilient, and the soulmate of a Lilim Succubus.”  
She flexed her claws and flashed Wen a set of dainty, but sharp, fangs.  
“He also has vampiric abilities and instincts.”  
For a moment Wen's face scrunched up in concentration, trying to figure out what Emelie meant, then her features smoothed into understanding.  
“So don't be afraid to use claws and fangs, even draw blood?”  
“Mhm, but keep in mind that he **is** an alpha, and you are not pack.”  
“Be careful around the neck and anything else that might be interpreted as dominant?”  
“Indeed.”  
Emelie nodded with a smile.  
“I know that last part will be hard for you since your instincts as an emerging queen are telling you to claim him as a breeding consort.”  
“I know...”  
“Don't worry, you are not strong enough to override his will, you will not be able to force him or claim him.”  
“But I might trigger his alpha instincts...”  
“And if you do he might growl or pounce at you, or maybe even nip at you or bring his power to bare down at you. But he won't harm you.”

Following Emelie's hints Wen was able to draw various soft gasps and hisses from Takeshi, and encouraged by those reactions her touch slowly grew more confident all while her heat grew more intense.  
It took quite a bit of focus, but Takeshi did manage to allow her power to sway him, move him, without controlling him or triggering his alpha nature, or heat, and it did seem to help control her heat a bit.

“ _Hiishuu..._ I'm sorry... _♫... Gomen..._ I'm sorry...”  
Takeshi was whispering soft apologies over and over like a mantra, or a prayer.  
“Nng... It's okay.. It doesn't really hurt that bad. Not compared to the heat...”  
Wen was struggling a bit as she was in quite a bit of pain, but the fact that she was gradually relaxing was a good sign, and Takeshi could feel that she was telling the truth.  
“I have still caused you pain...”  
When Takeshi began fretting again Emelie sighed and sank her claws into his hips, giving him a hefty dose of her venom and after a few moments she could feel a flicker of gratitude mixed with a hint of frustration.

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Necessary Evil_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


When Takeshi and Emelie returned to the pack 3 days later Takeshi was looking worn and Dan greeted him with concern in his voice.  
“Alpha..?”  
“I'll be okay love...”  
“If I ever get my hands on the bastard that forced Wen's heat I'm gonna kill them...”  
Dan's protective anger carried an edge of dominance, of alpha, that made Takeshi growl at him which instantly made Dan bare his neck.  
“Ouch... Easy alpha...”  
The grumbling complaints held equal parts relief and joy as Dan submitted to his alpha and waited patiently for him to assert his dominance and relax into the gentle support of the pack.  
“My perfect beta...”  
Takeshi gently dragged his tongue over the marks left by his fangs which earned him a soft, needy, gasp.  
  


“How are you doing with your heat?”  
Ylian waited until Takeshi was done having his way with Dan before speaking up, asking the question on everyone's mind.  
“It's close, I would say two to three days, but definitely no more than four.”  
The soft smile that played on Ylian's lips was telling, and it made them look younger than usual.  
“Ylian, why are you scared?”  
The three empaths of the pack were not fooled by the smile as they picked up on the growing fear that Ylian was trying to hide.  
“...”  
“Please, talk to us, let us at least try to help...”  
“...”  
They didn't try to push again, instead the pack moved closer, hugging, kissing, touching, supporting while patiently waiting for Ylian to speak their mind.  
  


“My first time as pana I carried four amazing spawns who have not only matured into full shadelings at an amazing rate, but they are how I always envisioned that our kind should be. Strong and fierce when needed, but tempered by gentle hearts.”  
There was a fairly long silence while the pack waited to see if Ylian would say anything else, but when they didn't Jackal spoke up.  
“And now you're afraid that it was just luck, a fluke that won't repeat...”  
“...”  
The silence spoke as loudly as any words could ever have and once again the pack drew closer and with the closeness came a deep sense of multifaceted love that left Ylian exposed in a way that they had never experienced before.  
Overwhelmed by what they were feeling Ylian abandoned their corporeal form and engulfed the pack in their true form, earning them a few surprised gasps, but no one tried to to move away, instead the pack refocused on Takeshi and Emelie, making sure they were okay and reaffirming the bonds of the pack.  
It took several hours before the pack was satisfied with the mood of the alpha pair, and by the time they were everyone was quite hungry, but fortunately Lucifer had anticipated the reaction and requested food to be brought to them in advance.  
  


“The kitchen has outdone themselves this time.”  
Amanda sank her teeth into a large piece of gently steamed fish that tasted like the ocean, wild, fresh and a hint of salt, speckles of black and blue that added a hint of something tangy and aromatic that was reminiscent of lime and a slightly biting zest that brought ginger to mind.  
With the piece of fish gone she took a piece of the brilliant red, beaded kelp that the fish was served on and popped it in her mouth, enjoying the crunch and delicate saltiness.  
“This tastes just like sea grapes.”  
“Oh?”  
Takeshi instantly snatched a piece for himself and the smile when he bit into the crunchy beads spoke of nostalgia.  
“Indeed, the beads are larger and contain prana, but taste just like _Umi-bud_ _ō_. I definitely need to ask the kitchen where they get it from.”  
Takeshi's delighted smile as he plucked another string of red beads earned him a few amused chuckles, and hands grabbing to test the crunchy treat.

With the food gone the pack had returned to Lucifer's observatory to watch as the Obsidian Halls and the surrounding land slowly dried up from the rain, glittering like a black jewel in the light of the setting sun.  
“Take?”  
“Yes Linn?”  
Takeshi watched with curiosity as Linnéa blushed vividly before squaring her shoulders.  
“Uncle Lucy has explained what the arashiri is...”  
“You wish to have an arashiri before my heat?”  
“If possible... Less risk of me getting scared, and I should be able to better handle you during your heat...”  
“It should indeed be beneficial, though, I would have preferred more time.”  
“Does it have to be...”  
She paused for a moment looking for words.  
“Can't it be more like a quick introductory class rather than a full course?”  
“ _Sex for Dummies_ ?”  
He quipped with a smile.  
“Hmm, maybe more like _Teasing Take 101_ ?”  
She quipped back with an equally teasing smile.  
“Oh, that does sound tempting.”  
He gave her a soft kiss before focusing on being serious.  
“Do you want anyone else to be there?”  
“Can Iðunn and Eir both sit Guardian for me?”  
“Of course. An arashiri would be all about you, what you want and need.”  
“Do you think Roto would be willing to be there too?”  
“You have really taken a liking to Roto, haven't you?”  
“Mhm... He makes me smile...”  
She cast a quick glance over to where Hiro was showing Alice how to play the crystal instrument that had aspects of both a _Guqin_ and a _Guzheng,_ able to produce both the soft, deep sound of the guqin and the higher pitched tones of the guzheng .  
“And he makes me feel needed, and safe...”  
There was a slight hint of confusion in her tone that made Takeshi smile and pull her into a gentle hug.  
“Let's go ask them then.”  
“Okay...”

Iðunn and Eir accepted without any hesitation, both offering teasing quips that it was about time Linnéa got it on with Takeshi.  
As Takeshi suspected Roto was eager to help her, but slightly nervous about not having enough control for such a thing.  
“Don't worry Roto, I trust you.”  
“...”  
“Aww, no need to blush...”  
Linnéa's light teasing only made Roto blush deeper which made her coo at him and call him cute, which of course only made things worse.  
Takeshi was somewhat impressed though that Roto remained in control instead of switching places with Hiro, something that showed just how much he had matured.  
It made him very happy to see Hiro and Roto becoming more and more in tune with each other, even though it might mean that they would merge into a single entity, something he knew would be met with mixed feelings.  
The pack had grown to love the youma every bit as much as they did Hiro, and they would grieve if it was no longer there, separate, even if it was still part of Hiro.  
If he was honest with himself, and he always was even if he didn't always like it, he would miss Roto dearly if the two merged fully.

“Linn, before we do anything else there is something I would like to ask you.”  
Takeshi chased the thought of Roto from his mind and focused back on Linnéa.  
“What?”  
“Will you permit me to claim you as pack?”  
“Now?”  
“Mhm.”  
For a moment she appeared to be caught somewhere between embarrassed and thoughtful.  
“Yes.”  
There was no resistance as he claimed her and marked her with a scale and she quickly settled into the lower end of the ranks where the individual positions were rather fluid and mostly defined as being above Takara and Isabelle, but beneath the members with dominant traits.  
Takeshi suspected she would prove to be a beta though and rise slightly in position.  
  


“So, what do you think girls, are your instincts telling you anything about claiming her for yourself?”  
“Yeah, they are...”  
“Well, go on, talk to her about it.”  
They both huffed at him before calling for Linnéa's attention and Takeshi watched them talk to her, explain what they were feeling, and asking her permission to claim her.  
“Of course.”  
With her permission granted Takeshi's attention was drawn to seeing how Iðunn and Eir would state their claim, how they would mark her.  
He watched his daughters shift and carefully pluck a few of the small feathers from their heads, then shift back.  
Once back in the human form they moved Linnéa's hair to the side and charged the feathers with their power before pressing them to the nape of her neck and moments later the feathers had settled into her skin, curling softly around the curve of her neck.  
  


“A beautiful claim.”  
Takeshi hummed softly in approval, the small golden feathers were not obvious and would be a bit hard to see under Linnéa's hair, but the energy was strong.  
“May I?”  
He held his hand out but didn't touch the new mark.  
“Okay...”  
“Let me know if it's uncomfortable in any way.”  
“I will...”  
He gently brushed a finger over the vibrantly golden feathers and he noted a slight shiver both in Linnéa and his girls.  
“That felt strange.”  
“I don't think we will like it if someone who is not pack touches it...”  
“Want to ask Bran, Lucy and Relyn to see how their touch feels?”  
“Yeah...”  
  


As Takeshi knew it would the touch of those who were not fully pack caused a bit more discomfort, especially Lucifer as he was powerful enough to destroy the mark, but it didn't trigger any serious reactions as they all carried a touch of the pack energy and none of them meant harm.  
“This is indeed a very beautiful mark. The colors of these feathers are amazing. I think you did the right thing using these instead of the popular larger feathers of the tail or wings.”  
They both blushed at the praise, then swatted Lucifer's hand away from the mark in mock defense.  
  


Once the sun had set and the sky was littered with sparkling stars Takeshi turned to his pack and gently tugged on the bonds to get their attention, then informed them about Linnéa's request for an arashiri.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Necessary Evil_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


Once back in their wing the pack quickly helped put together a nice selection of treats while offering some teasing advice to Linnéa.  
  


“Have fun.”  
“Don't forget to use plenty of claws and fangs!”  
“And don't just let him have his way, tease him good and proper.”  
“Be nice to Roto.”  
“Don't worry Sora, I will.”  
Linnéa smiled at the crow hanyou before grabbing one of the carts with treats and following Takeshi, Hiroto and the twins to one of the smaller rooms to begin the modified arashiri.  
  


After setting the various treats aside Takeshi invited Linnéa and Roto to join him on the huge fur that was draped over a pile of soft bedding while Iðunn and Eir settled down on a smaller pile next to them to keep watch.  
“Now, this is where I would usually begin working on calming the one going through the arashiri, gently inviting them to explore my body and carefully begin to figure out what they like while allowing them to figure me out.”  
Linnéa just huffed at him as that was not what she had in mind.  
“But our dear Linn has other plans, why don't you explain what you have in mind?”  
“Meanie...”  
The soft grumble just made everyone smile.  
  


“I don't really need lessons in figuring out what I like, or what that asshole likes...”  
She gave Takeshi a mock glare before continuing.  
“But I am a bit nervous about his heat since he might get pretty rough and I don't want to get scared, and he's pretty damned big and all that...”  
Roto gave her a somewhat quizzical look before breaking into a wide smile.  
“So you wish to allow your body to get used to him, his size, reassure yourself that yes, that monstrosity does indeed fit?”  
The somewhat crude, and very teasing wording earned the youma a slap and a somewhat mortified hiss before Linnéa collected herself and settled on giving Roto a slightly frustrated glare paired with a somewhat indulgent smile.  
“Crude, but yeah...”  
Takeshi could feel the twins pride in her reaction, and he echoed the very same feeling over the bonds as well, Linnéa was dealing beautifully.  
  


The way she approached him was quite different from most other youth's he had been Guide to as she was dominated by an eager determination and there was confidence in her touch from the beginning, she already knew how she was able to affect him.  
It was far from the first time she explored his body, or allowed him to explore her, but this time she was determined to go all the way while previously she had settled for just teasing.  
“Easy, no need to rush things.”  
Takeshi carefully worked on making her slow down and not try to push too fast.  
“Let me tease you a bit, make you visit the abyss a few times first. That should help your body relax and prepare, allow your regenerative abilities to rise. Not to mention all those nice hormones released will help numb any pain.”  
He opted to go for a more scientific approach as Linnéa had a Swedish education which included a comprehensive sexual education, by pointing out how an orgasm affected the body he would hopefully manage to get her to slow down a bit.  
“It's gonna hurt either way, isn't it?”  
“Probably, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't take it easy and reduce the pain as much as we can, with some luck we could even push your body into appreciating it.”  
“Oh, like you and Alice?”  
There was equal parts amusement and doubt in her voice that made Takeshi huff at her and pull her into his arms..  
  


“Probably not quite that extreme, but I have found that so far all of my lovers have appreciated at least a small edge of pain with their pleasure. Now, I don't know if that's something universal, or if it's just something that comes with the type I go for.”  
To prove his point he nipped at her neck with sharp fangs, just enough to add a hint of pain, and he was instantly rewarded with a quivering moan.  
“Okay, point taken.”  
She was about to say something more, but the words turned into incoherent garble as Takeshi started working her body with a skill born from experience, and Roto was downright eager to help.  
  


Together the pair brought Linnéa to the edge and over time and again, working together with determination they pushed her to the point where her body was too exhausted to be tense.  
Between liberal use of the lubricant that the Mother provided and keeping her body on the edge of pleasure and exhaustion she didn't notice any pain when Takeshi finally entered her, instead the added stimuli pushed her into the abyss again and by the time she she found her way back she was resting, curled into Takeshi's chest and Hiroto's wing draped over her while the youma was carefully brushing his fingers through her hair.  
  


“How are you feeling?”  
“A bit sore, but good...”  
She hummed softly for a moment while burrowing her face into Takeshi's neck.  
“Really, really, good.”  
She whispered against his skin before falling asleep, too exhausted to stay awake.  
 _“Yokatta...”_  
Roto breathed a sigh of relief that instantly had Takeshi and the twins focused on him.  
“Roto, were you **that** worried?”  
Iðunn's soft question made the youma squirm slightly.  
“Yes... And no... I guess...”  
“Roto, relax, take a deep breath and find your words.”  
They could feel the energy of the youkai's aura shift as Roto pulled back slightly, allowing Hiro to rise to share control.  
  


“I... **We** , know that being with Take is not easy in the beginning, especially if you have not received a male before.”  
The somewhat confused and slightly concerned looks made Hiroto smile and shake his head a bit.  
“The first time I bedded him I had never allowed myself to be taken by a male before, and despite him not being fully grown yet it was very painful at first. It took me quite some time to get used to his size.”  
“You never said anything...”  
Takeshi's voice was decidedly sad, and there was a hint of something accusing as well.  
“All that would have accomplished would have been to hurt you and make you worry. We are youkai, we knew our body would adapt to comfortably accommodating your size. And despite your appearance and strength even then you were at the time very much human.”  
“I think I'm starting to see where Dad gets his over-protectiveness from...”  
Iðunn's amused observation was seconded by Eir who gave their father a teasing smile.  
“Cheeky little...”  
Takeshi complained with a smile while Hiroto blushed vividly from the way the twins looked at him.  
  


“I wonder how many of his quirks actually came from you.”  
Iðunn mused with a smile, making Hiroto squirm slightly.  
“Not as many as you might believe.”  
Takeshi huffed softly.  
“I was very much like him even as a child.”  
The rare treat of being told something from Takeshi's childhood instantly had Iðunn and Eir at attention.  
“Indeed, Sumi-chan would often accuse us of being _Onaji ana no Mujina_.”  
Hiroto snickered with a wide grin.  
“Uhm, what does that mean?”  
“Badgers from the same den.”  
When Hiroto didn't elaborate Iðunn and Eir looked at each other, clearly debating what it could mean.  
“Like _Birds of a feather.._?”  
They both jumped slightly when Linnéa spoke up, neither of them expecting her to be awake again so soon, Takeshi of course had noticed her waking up almost immediately, only dozing off for a few minutes in the afterglow before her blessed constitution kicked in and allowed her to recover rapidly.  
  


“It's similar, but does carry a slightly negative meaning as the Mujina, Japanese badgers, are often considered to be tricksters or villains.”  
“So they are put in the same category as Kitsune and Tanuki?”  
“Mhm, shapeshifters who thrive on tricking people.”  
“Pretty accurate then.”  
Linnéa quipped with a smile.  
“Indeed...”  
Hiroto added, ignoring Takeshi's mock glare.  
“Shapeshifter...”  
Iðunn continues.  
“And loves to trick and tease.”  
Eir finished up.  
“What have I done to earn such a cruel pack..?”  
Takeshi complained and as always they responded without missing a beat.  
“Teased us.”  
“Tickled us.”  
“Ate the last piece of gong liver.”  
Hiroto's addition caused a brief silence, then everyone broke down laughing.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Necessary Evil_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


When they rejoined the pack after spending the entire night, and most of the following day secluded they were greeted with a huge pile of food, and plenty of teasing quips and the group were more than happy to pay every teasing comment back in kind.  
  


“If you don't mind me asking, how are you two so calm about this? I mean with Take's heat and staying here knowing how he will be?”  
Linnéa half whispered to Sarah and Maria.  
“Remember, we have been around Take and Emmy since we were little kids.”  
“They saved our lives.”  
“And taught us to deal with our fear of storms.”  
“And we have been Blessed a lot longer than you so we are more aware of just how durable we are.”  
“...”  
Linnéa nodded silently.  
“Bottom line, we know he won't harm us even if he might cause us some pain.”  
“And we know we can handle it.”  
When both of them hugged her tightly Linnéa blushed rather vividly and spluttered a bit.  
“Your mark is fresh, and you carry the mark of someone else as well, he is definitely going to give you a lot of attention during the heat.”  
There was a hint of almost envy in Maria's voice that made Linnéa hug her back and reassure her that Takeshi would no doubt give her and Sarah a lot of attention too.  
  


“I really hope Ylian gets a good spawning.”  
Sarah fled the emotional exchange by steering the conversation to a safer topic.  
“Mhm, shadeling spawns are super cute.”  
Maria quickly agreed.  
“Oh?”  
“They were so tiny, like little eggs.”  
“And when they were curious and exploring things they looked like little black clouds with tentacles.”  
Both twins used their hands to indicate how tiny the spawns had been at first.  
“Okay, that does sound ridiculously cute.”  
Linnéa agreed with a smile before the trio turned their attention to Takeshi who was calling the pack to gather around.  
  


“With my heat just around the corner I figured we should spend the rest of the time making preparations.”  
“Stockpiling food?”  
“Indeed.”  
“I have spoken with the kitchen manager and she agreed to set aside one of the kitchens to prepare anything you need.”  
Lucifer had been taking full advantage of his position as Lord of the Land to see to that Takeshi and the pack would be well cared for during Takeshi's heat.  
“Thank you amo.”  
Takeshi thanked him with a quick kiss before turning back to the pack.  
“We have plenty of meat in storage, but I was thinking maybe we should head out and catch some fish and collect fruits and vegetables as well?”  
“Can we visit Hirundo and pick some of that tasty grass?”  
“Of course Amy, we could head to the river beyond the pastures, the banks are rich in fruits and berries and home to several vegetables and mushrooms as well, and there is plenty of zimara in the deep waters.”  
“Recap please, what was zimara?”  
Eric couldn't recall if anyone had told him what a zimara was.  
  


“The nightmare child of an octopus and a lamprey.”  
Takeshi supplied with a teasing smile.  
“Also known as the delicious ball of tentacles with teeth.”  
“Ah, those...”  
Eric was clearly not too keen on the idea of facing live zimara.  
“Don't worry, there are plenty of things to catch along the shallows where the big zimara don't go.”  
“The small ones still go there, right?”  
“Mhm, but they are harmless.”  
“The babies are kinda cute even. They don't have big enough teeth to do any damage.”  
“But that doesn't stop them from trying.”  
The pack half soothed, half teased, and Eric shook his head with a huff.  
“I think I'll focus on foraging for stuff that won't try to eat me instead...”  
“Don't worry, I'll join you, Rai doesn't like water very much.”  
Dan quickly offered to keep Eric company foraging along the riverbanks.  
“But you like fishing, don't you?”  
“Yeah, I do.”  
“How about we swap familiars for a day then? I'll take Rai with me and forage while you can keep an eye on Leiia while she catches fish?”  
There was a moment of silent communication between master and familiar then Dan nodded in agreement and Rai scurried over to Eric while Leiia sauntered over to where Dan was sitting and bumped her head into his chest.  
  


It took less than an hour for the pack to get ready to head out and by the time they left the palace they were joined by a small group of Blood Guards.  
  


“Shamarai-ieri!”  
They had just walked through the Eastern gate when they heard the Huntsmaster calling for them.  
“Huntsmaster, how can we be of service?”  
Takeshi greeted him with a slight bow.  
“I hear you are heading out to forage and fish.”  
“We are.”  
“I would like to observe the potential new hunters if you don't mind the extra company.”  
Takeshi turned to the pack and flared his aura a bit to get their full attention.  
“What do you say? Feel like taking the first step toward becoming hunters?”  
“Sure.”  
“Why not.”  
“Might as well.”  
“Okay.”  
He turned back to the Huntsmaster with a nod.  
“I guess that settles it. Welcome to our little preheat stock up.”  
“Thank you.”  
  


The puzzled look on the Huntsmaster's face when they stopped by the pastures and started collecting the tall grass had the entire pack smiling, and Takara quickly collected a few nice straws and offered them to the old angel.  
“They taste really good.”  
He hesitantly accepted the small bundle and after a quick glance at the pack who were happily chewing on their own straws he took a bite from the thicker part and started chewing.  
“You are right, it is quite delicious.”  
He hummed and chewed for a while before spitting out the tough fibers and turning to the pack again, asking them how they thought to taste the grass in the first place.  
By the time they were done telling the story the Huntsmaster was smiling widely and the shiver in his wings spoke of his struggle to keep from laughing.  
The more sensitive members of the pack could sense his approval as well as he helped them collect the grass that grew out of reach of the herd, happily adding to their pile before it was sent to the storehouse.  
  


“You are quite skilled at foraging.”  
The Huntsmaster was no longer trying to conceal his curiosity as he watched the pack gather fruits, berries, nuts and wild vegetables along the sides of the road as they walked.  
“Our alpha has taught us to live of what the land has to offer even if we are injured, or too weak to hunt.”  
“A wise choice.”  
“Dad, are these mushrooms safe to eat?”  
Iðunn's eager calls as she had found a large number of huge, bright green mushrooms had the group stopping to wait for Takeshi to assess the find.  
“Let's see.”  
Kneeling down he allowed his aura to wash over one of the plump caps before leaning in and taking a careful sniff.  
Sensing nothing bad he used a claw to cut a small piece from the cap without picking it and gave it another, more thorough sniff before touching it to his tongue while focusing on it with all his senses, and his aura.  
“Yeah, it's safe, but it doesn't taste very good, at least not raw.”  
“Maybe pick a few now and try to cook them tonight then if they are good cooked we can pick more on our way back?”  
“That sounds like a plan.”  
With Takeshi's okay Iðunn quickly collected a few of the smaller mushrooms and placed them in a mesh bag attached to her belt.  
  


“You do things like these a lot?”  
The Huntsmaster was becoming increasingly inquisitive, asking all sorts of questions about the pack and their habits when it came to acquiring food.  
“Not as much as I would have liked to, but during our stay here I do intend to spend more time just roaming the lands with my pack.”  
The soft warble that answered him spoke of longing and nostalgia.  
“I don't think the pack would mind the company of a distinguished hunter when we head out.”  
Takeshi offered a subtle invitation.  
“My assistant is ready to step up as master so I will consider it thoroughly.”  
With a soft sigh Takeshi put his hand on the Huntsmaster's shoulder.  
“If you wish to talk about it my pack and I would be honored to listen.”  
The old angel startled slightly, then he looked at Takeshi with confusion written in his features.  
“How?”  
“My pack has three strong empaths, a succubus and an incubus, and I may be young, but my alpha instincts are strong.  
He paused for a moment let the Huntsmaster collect himself a bit.  
“We all noticed the tension between you and your mate during the feast.”  
The sigh and somewhat uncomfortable chirp didn't deter Takeshi, instead he pushed slightly.  
  


“Even demons change and you have been mated a very long time, a good talk and some time away might just help you gain some perspective and provide a means to rekindle the embers.”  
Relationship problems were rare among demons who had taken a mate based on the simiriwi as the pair would be an ideal match.  
“You may be right...”  
“It's worth trying isn't it?”  
“It is...”  
“Iero! Try this!”  
Takara interrupted the slightly tense conversation by offering the Huntsmaster a handful of young tips and cones from some kind of coniferous tree and the soft pink tips and pale blue cones were quickly accepted.  
“Sweet and spicy, a nice find.”  
“They are really good if you have a tummy ache. And the mature cones are great bait for snaring those Jackalope things.”  
Takara proudly listed the uses for the cones.  
“Jacka... What?”  
“Alpha, can you explain?”  
“Of course sweetie.”  
Takeshi quickly took over the conversation and began explaining what Takara was talking about.  
“Jackalope is a mythological creature in the Human realm that is essentially a hare with horns.”  
“And a _hare_ is?”  
Takeshi paused for a moment to see if he knew of any demon species that would be a suitable equivalent of hares, but he could only think of the Damra which were more like rabbits than hares.  
“They are similar to Damra. The Human realm has two main types, the rabbits which look like Damra and are smaller than hares. Hares are larger and often more nimble looking, they are faster, and hares also give birth to mature offspring, while rabbits birth small, blind and helpless kits.”  
“I see.”  
When the Huntsmaster nodded his understanding Takeshi turned to Takara for a quick lesson.  
“Taka, do you remember what it's called when an animal gives birth to or hatches very mature offspring?”  
“No.”  
“It's called _Precocial_ , and when they have very immature offspring?”  
“Sorry...”  
She ducked her head when she once again was unable to answer.  
“That's _Altricial_.”  
Takeshi supplied the answer again with just a hint of disappointment that instantly spurred the young foxling into action.  
“Guess I need to put some extra biology classes on my schedule.”  
“That might be a good idea.”  
He watched her run off to Angel to ask her to adjust the schedule and select some suitable classes.  
“They are eager students.”  
“Indeed, I have managed to instill them with a ravenous hunger for knowledge.”  
“Now that is something you should take great pride in young alpha.”  
The praise just made Takeshi blush slightly and focus his attention on Angel, which made the Huntsmaster snicker softly, familiar with the discomfort in the face of praise.  
  


One of the added benefits of having Angel's body ready in time for her to join them was all the information she carried in her memory cores, one of the crystal quantum cores carried digital copies of nearly every book known to mankind along with several software applications designed for students.  
Another core was steadily being filled up with copies of the books in Lucifer's private library, and would eventually contain all books in the Obsidian Library, and hopefully books from other demon libraries as well.  
The tablets and flexes usually used for their studies had limited performance, memory and battery life so they needed to be recharged frequently, and the information on them needed to be updated regularly, which usually made them impractical in the Demon realm if they stayed more than a few days.  
However with Angel being there that changed, her massive memory cores, and internal generator, provided the extra information, and access to a compatible energy-source for recharging the batteries that they needed to make use of the tablets and flexes, and she was also more than happy to act the role of teacher.  
  


A soft whuffing at his side pulled Takeshi out of his thought and looking down he found Yami offering him live prey in the form of one of the rodents that were abundant at the edge of the fields.  
The creature looked like a Jerboa with its disproportionately long hind legs and insanely long tail with a fairly large tuft at the end, and at about double the size of the Human realm creature it resembled the spindly legged and long tailed rodent was a decent mouthful, but very hard to catch.  
“Nice catch Yami.”  
He took the stunned creature by the scruff of its neck and inspected it closely before giving it back to Yami who gobbled it down in just a few bites before running off to try to catch another one.  
“A nice catch indeed.”  
The Huntsmaster laughed as they both hurried their steps a bit to catch back up with the rest of the pack.  
  



	3. Dourbaz

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Dourbaz_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“This place is so beautiful.”  
Linnéa paused for a moment to look out over the fairly large lake where several mountain streams gathered before emptying into a wild river that continued north toward the sea.  
She looked into the sky, but she knew that there could be dangers she couldn't see so she turned to the Huntsmaster as he knew the area well.  
“Is it safe to shift and have a look from the sky?”  
“There are no avivores large enough to consider you prey in the Obsidian Territories.”  
The Huntsmaster answered with a pleased chirp coloring his words.  
“But there are avivores here?”  
“There are but most of them do not fly themselves, and of those who do fly the largest ones are only about half your size so they won't try.”  
“Okay, thank you Huntsmaster-Iero.”  
“Please, my name is ♫♪♪ or Ruton for those who do not speak Obsidian.”  
“Okay Ruton-Iero.”  
“No need for titles while we are out here.”  
“Okay okay, Ruton.”  
She gave him a wide smile and slight bow before skipping over to Takeshi.  
  


“I want to go for a bit of a flight to have a look at this place from above. I already asked Master Ruton and he says there are no large avivores here, at least none that fly.”  
“Okay, but be careful, dragons sometimes stop by here to drink while migrating, and they might try to eat you.”  
“I will. Ðunn, Eir, care to join me?”  
“Of course.”  
“Anyone else?”  
“A nice flight does sound tempting but I'm a lot smaller than you, so I might be prey...”  
Ethan was somewhat hesitant but was quickly promised that they would help keep him safe.  
“Thanks.”  
“I think I'll join you just too if that's okay.”  
Anne quickly joined them as well and soon most of the pack were getting ready to have a look from the sky.  
“Kiryu-sama, please, would you go with them and watch over them?”  
Takeshi gave the small dragon perched on his shoulder a gentle nudge and she gave him a nod before throwing herself into the air and rapidly growing larger as she gained altitude and moments later she was joined by a flock of assorted birds, dominated by the two huge golden eagles.  
“Let's set up a camp while they enjoy the view.”  
Takeshi quickly rounded up those who opted to stay and set to work on building a camp, not just for resting, but for field dressing and preparing anything they caught or picked.  
  


“I must say, humans have created some rather interesting solutions to compensate their lack of powers.”  
Ruton watched with avid curiosity as Takeshi, Dan and Eric worked together to raise several geodesic dome tents, clearly intrigued by the materials and sturdy design.  
“A necessity for surviving for a mortal and frail species like humans.”  
Demon realm tents tended to either be very simple, more or less just a tarp like cloth or hide to protect from rain and a soft hide on the ground, just to add a bit of comfort as the resilient demons didn't really need the protection, or very sturdy, like houses, brought to the location using teleportation circles for more long term camps.  
“I believe I may have underestimated humans... The human mind has clearly expanded to compensate for their mortality and lack of magic.”  
Ruton's confession was met by amused snorts.  
“Believe me, most humans are bumbling idiots.”  
Dan grinned in amusement.  
“Indeed, Take-san and his house are hardly representative for humans in general.”  
Eriko added with a teasing smile.  
  


Experienced hands quickly had the camp set and Takeshi looked toward the area where he could sense the rest of the pack, noting that they were quite far away he brought a crystal whistle out of his shift.  
“You may want to cover your ears.”  
He quipped with a teasing smile and snickered as the three shadow beasts instantly abandoned their physical forms to make them less sensitive to sound.  
Seeing the reaction Ruton quickly heeded the suggestion, but he still flinched at the piercing tone when Takeshi put the whistle in his mouth and blew hard.  
A few seconds later the flock of avian creatures turned sharply and broke straight toward them, though they did take a detour to allow Ethan to try to catch one of the small birds that had taken off at the sudden sound.  
“♫!”  
The impressed sound made Takeshi snicker at Ruton.  
“This whistle is made to generate a sound that is above human hearing. Most demons and many animals can hear it though.”  
“I see, I guess that makes sense in the Human realm.”  
“Indeed.”  
Takeshi watched with a hint of pride as his family came in one by one, most shifting just before reaching the ground, though, Ethan and Melissa came walking through the nearby field as Ethan had managed to catch one of the long tailed sparrows that lived at the edge of the forest.  
  


When Ethan offered Takeshi his catch he gave it a quick inspection before handing it back.  
“Nice catch. “  
He praised the successful hunt.  
“Not very much to eat on it though.”  
The teasing addition made Ethan laugh and agree that it wasn't really intended for himself to eat.  
“Honey, want a snack?”  
Ethan offered the bird to Honey who chittered happily before starting to tear at the feathers to get to the breast meat.  
  


“Did you enjoy the view?”  
Takeshi nudged Linnéa who was having a rather energetic conversation with Iðunn, Eir and Hugin about how the winds in the area felt.  
“Yeah it was amazing!”  
Her aura was sparkling with excitement and she clearly had something she wanted to say.  
“Okay, stop bouncing, take a deep breath, then try again.”  
“I think I saw something between those islands, there was this huge shadow moving around. It moved a bit like an eel but it was crazy big.”  
”Hmm, there's not really supposed to be anything like that here...”  
Takeshi hummed to himself before calling out for Ruton.  
  


“It's probably a female _Dourbaz_.”  
Ruton sounded confident, but slightly concerned.  
“I thought they were ocean dwellers?”  
Takeshi tried to get the conversation moving before the girls could notice the old hunter's worry.  
“They are, but the females sometimes migrate up rivers to spawn, and right after the rains the river downstream from here is very deep, it's possible that a large specimen migrated up to spawn and found herself trapped now that there is no more extra water coming off the mountains raising the level of the river.”  
“Poor thing...”  
Linnéa mumbled softly while Iðunn and Eir moved on to what they considered more important questions.  
  


“What's a dourbaz?”  
The three teens all looked at Takeshi, waiting for him to explain in human terms what the creature was.  
“Imagine a lobe-finned cross between a diamond and starry sturgeon that can grow to sizes in excess of 30 meters with a somewhat serpentine body in the large specimens. And give birth to living fry that are about 25 centimeters long at birth.”  
“Wow...”  
“How long is 30 of your meters?”  
Ruton was curious about the size description and Takeshi quickly supplied him with the information he had asked for.  
“A lemu is 50 meters so just over half a lemu. ”  
“Then I believe your estimate of the size is a bit on the small side. Half a lemu might be average for adult males, but females can reach sizes in excess of a lemu.”  
“Damn!”  
“That's huge!”  
“Are they dangerous?”  
“Not really, they are voracious feeders, but they don't usually go after large prey. They are mainly bottom feeders so their diet consists mostly of shellfish and small fish as well as kelp and other plants, but they are capable of hunting as well if needed.”  
“Isn't that going to be really bad for the ecosystem in the lake with a huge predator that doesn't belong there?”  
“Yes, we need to find out if it is.”  
“If it is, are you going to just kill her for getting stuck?”  
The hint of sharp protectiveness and disapproval in Linnéa's tone that made Ruton raise his hands in surrender.  
  


“If it truly is a spawning female then we will do what we can to save her, they are valuable, especially large ones who are old and strong enough to carry large litters and able to protect themselves to spawn repeatedly.”  
“Oh...”  
“They are very similar to sturgeons not just in appearance but in reproduction as well. Meaning they are very slow to mature to spawning age, and older, larger specimens are more successful at spawning and spawn larger numbers of offspring.”  
Takeshi added a quick lesson about their reproduction.  
“Then we **have** to save her...”  
“Easy there Linn, how about we go check what we are dealing with first? No point in getting all worked up if it turns out to be something else.”  
“Okay...”  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Dourbaz_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“Gather around guys.”  
  


Takeshi quickly had the pack gathered at the bank of the small mountain river that emptied into the lake where water from the mountains had dissolved and washed away softer materials over the aeons, forming a deep lake with an intricate system of caverns and islands both above and beneath the surface.  
He had picked the spot because the bank of the river was gentle in the area giving them plenty of room to gather around, while the area above was nice and stable for making camp, and a small backwater offered Miri a safe place to rest comfortably while still being close to the rest of them.  
  


“We have a slight change of plans for today.”  
“The creature we saw?”  
Ethan hadn't been there for the small debate about it, but he had clearly seen it.  
“Yes, we suspect it's a female dourbaz, an oceanic creature similar to a very large, very long, sturgeon, that has come up the river during the monsoon to spawn.”  
Takeshi gave a quick recap about the creature, and how valuable the old females were and the pack quickly agreed to go have a look to see if it really was one.  
  


“That is definitely a dourbaz.”  
Takeshi hummed as he leaned over the edge of one of the islands to look into the water beneath the overhang where the large creature had made itself comfortable and was resting in a gentle current.  
“Indeed, and she is a beauty! Look at those colors”  
Ruton was kneeling next to him and the old angel was sparkling with joy as he watched the lazy movements of the dourbaz.  
“By the look of that bulge on her belly she hasn't spawned yet though.”  
”So we should wait then, let her spawn in peace.”  
“Definitely, if we disturb her now she may reabsorb her offspring to save herself.”  
“Maybe we can make her understand that we mean her no harm?”  
Miri offered to go into the water with the giant, a suggestion that merited proper consideration.  
  


“Nel has become very good at communicating with animals, maybe that works with this creature as well?”  
Hugin pointed out Nelly's developing ability when she didn't say anything herself.  
“Maybe if she's calm... But I have never been able to communicate with a fish before...”  
Nelly's lingering self doubt rearing its ugly ass once again made the entire pack sigh and mock glare at her, telling her in no uncertain terms that if anyone could do it it would be her.  
“Dourbaz aren't just fish though, they are demons and quite intelligent.”  
Ylian explained that such an old dourbaz as the one in the water beneath them was no doubt highly intelligent and should be able to communicate reasonably well and that lead to quite a debate which Takeshi chose to lean back and listen to in silence.  
“How about I take Miri, Manda and Nel to try to communicate with the dourbaz and the rest of you guys can get down to fishing and foraging?”  
Takeshi made his suggestion after listening to the pack talking for a while and soon everyone agreed and Ruton asked to watch their interactions with the dourbaz which they all agreed to without hesitation.  
  


“Be careful...”  
Takeshi couldn't help being slightly concerned as Miri and Amanda slid into the water in a shallow area near the dourbaz and took their mermaid forms.  
“Don't worry, we will.”  
He watched Amanda called her Atlantean staff and as she did the Key to Atlantis activated, the aquamarine flowers glowing slightly, adding to her power.  
“Go on Miri, you focus on singing and I'll keep an eye on her to get us out of here if she attacks.”  
“Okay Manda.”  
“Nel, are you ready to try to communicate with her if this works?”  
“I'm ready.”  
The way Amanda stepped up and took command had Takeshi's instincts rising, responding to the display of a competent beta.  
When Miri began singing songs of protection, safety, motherhood and trust he could feel the first stirrings of his heat rise and set a smouldering burn within his soul, it was still well within his ability to suppress though.  
  


“Amazing.”  
Ruton whispered as the dourbaz responded to Miri's song and slowly moved closer in a way that made it perfectly obvious that the giant was fully aware that she could unintentionally harm the, by comparison, small mermaid and was intentionally being careful so that she wouldn't.  
Takeshi was still somewhat tense as Miri moved closer and began brushing her hands against the enormous head but he calmed down as he could see the dourbaz settling down to be patted by the brightly coloured mermaid.  
  


“Can you get her closer to the surface, get her to look at me?”  
Nelly carefully instructed Miri to try to move the dourbaz into a position that would make trying to communicate with her easier.  
“I'll try.”  
Miri's head vanished back under the surface as she used her body and song to nudge the dourbaz and soon a gentle ripple disturbed the surface as a row of bony scutes and and a fin broke through followed by the head and dark eyes that quickly focused on Nelly.  
Focusing on the creature before her Nelly reached out and gently touched her mind, paying close attention to her reactions.  
  


“I can feel her... Shielded...”  
Nelly could feel mental barriers softly rejecting her probing mind and she focused on projecting calm and safety, on letting her know she meant no harm, the fact that the creature had barriers at all was a good sign though as the simple mind of an animal didn't possess them.  
“She's a bit afraid, but focused and controlled.”  
Nelly mumbled softly to soothe her somewhat tense alpha and mate who quite frankly seemed more concerned than she was herself.  
“Her shields are dropping.”  
The resistance gave way, but she could feel the barriers still there, ready to slam down and reject her at the first sign of danger.  
  


She continued to project calmness, friendliness, safety, trying to convey the image, idea, that she was not a threat, that she did not want to harm the dourbaz, projecting the image of them hunting for food, but not the dourbaz, and she also projected a hint of question, trying to get her to respond.  
“I think she understands me, I'm sensing curiosity.”  
She couldn't help a slight gasp as the curiosity shifted and images bombarded her mind.  
“She's projecting, strongly, images...”  
“Relax, lower you own shields, let the images in just like how we practised, I'm here and I will protect you if needed.”  
Takeshi spoke up for the first time, his voice a soft whisper as he reminded her of the sessions where they had helped each other train their abilities, her mental communication with animals, and his ability to transfer memories.  
She nodded slightly to let him know she had heard him, then focused on allowing the images in, on not resisting and as she did it became easier, clearer and she allowed most of her focus to be on telling him what she was seeing.  
  


“I can feel her, swimming in the ocean, mating, eggs growing and hatching within, her offspring growing larger, almost ready to be born.”  
The images were gradually becoming clearer.  
“I can feel the instincts telling her to find a safe place to birth them, the pull toward freshwater. She's showing me how she swam up the river during the monsoon.”  
As the images continue a sense of worry bled into the images.  
“She intends to birth her young, then try to make her way back when she no longer has her spawn to think about.”  
For a moment Nelly became silent, then she gasped in horror.  
“Oh god... She's planning to crawl across the rocks and shallows.”  
Before Takeshi could react Nelly leapt off the cliff and shifted to break the fall, then shifted back and dropped into the water and swam right up to the dourbaz and placed her hands on her head.  
“You will get hurt if you do that! Please let us help you!”  
Only Ruton's hand on his shoulder kept Takeshi from jumping after Nelly, giving him a moment to collect himself.  
“Thanks...”  
He mumbled softly as he settled back to watching Nelly with the dourbaz.  
  


By the time they rejoined the others the sun was setting and a large, but simple, meal was cooking.  
“How did it go?”  
Everyone was curious to find out how their little side quest had gone.  
“I think I did okay, she's really a gentle giant, and she was really worried about her offspring.”  
“Come on Nel!”  
“Details!”  
“Don't hold out on us.”  
“Kara want to know too!”  
“Okay, okay!”  
The fact that Nelly instantly folded to Kara caused a few snickers and teasing quips, but they instantly fell silent when she threatened not to tell them anything if they didn't shut up.  
  


“Once I was able to communicate with her on a reasonable level we did a lot of talking, and she is worried about not being able to make it back to the ocean, she was planning on trying to crawl across the shallow areas.”  
“That's really dangerous even for her, isn't it?”  
Jenna's voice was tinged with concern and worry.  
“Yeah, now shush so I can finish.”  
“Sorry.”  
“I managed to reach an agreement with her though, a few hunters and guards will arrive tomorrow to watch over her until she gives birth, they will make net cages to collect her offspring in, use netting and magic barriers to create a safer area for them to be in to allow them to grow larger and better able to fend for themselves, in return she will allow us to remove two thirds of them and bring to other locations where they will be raised in similar ways.”  
“So we will be farming dourbaz?”  
This time Nelly didn't complain about Jenna's question.  
“Essentially, but mainly to release, not to eat.”  
“So only cull those unsuitable to release or breed further.”  
Jenna with her background on a cattle ranch instantly picked up the nuances in what Nelly was speaking about.  
“Mhm.”  
Nelly nodded before resuming to tell them what had happened.  
  


“Once she is done birthing her young we will try to help her get back, using nets or tarps and the sheer size of the highborn hunters we should be able to do it.  
“I have some experience with Cetacean rescue, I might be able to give them a few pointers for making her more comfortable and less risk of injury.”  
Jenna quickly added before nodding for Nelly to continue.  
“I know and I was hoping you'd be willing to help me talk to the hunters when they arrive tomorrow, help make sure we're all on the same page.”  
“Of course.”  
Jenna quickly agreed.  
“Cetacean?”  
Ruton sounded very curious and confused and it was quite obvious that the Blood Guards were quite confused as well which made Nelly sigh and nod for Jenna to go ahead and answer them.  
  


“Cetacean is what we humans call a group of aquatic animals that look and behave like fish for the most part, but do not have gills so they surface to breathe through a modified nostril at the top of their heads.”  
“I see, we do have creatures like here as well, highly intelligent and able to create the most amazing songs.”  
“Our cetaceans are known for their amazing and haunting vocalizations as well.”  
“It is amazing how different and yet the same the Human realm seems, but that leaves me wondering why they would require rescue?”  
“Between excessive hunting and habitat destruction many of the species are on the brink of extinction so they need all the help they can get. But for some reason, we don't really know why, they beach themselves, sometimes individuals, sometimes entire pods, and rescuers work to bring them back into the water before they perish.”  
“I see...”  
The Huntsmaster still sounded confused, but there was a diplomatic edge to his tone telling Jenna that he didn't want to seem rude by pushing for more information.  
  


“My father has always been dedicated to protecting animals that are at risk from human activities and I have always enjoyed travelling with him, seeing these animals, doing what I can to protect those who cannot protect themselves.”  
“He sounds like an honourable male.”  
“He is. And I'm hoping he will see the benefits of the blessing and accept it before his life comes to an end.”  
“Wait, Take has offered Dad the blessing?”  
Meghan's interruption at hearing about such an offer for the first time didn't surprise anyone, Mark and Tamara had asked that they not tell her right away to allow them to think about it in peace.  
“Mhm, Mom and Dad both, but they are a bit hesitant about the live forever part.”  
“Hmpf, they better get their heads on straight and accept.”  
“I'm pretty sure they will, if only to be there to see Belle and your spawns grow up.”  
“...”  
“And before you go there, they asked us not to tell you because they wanted time to think about it without you pestering them.”  
“I kinda figured that...”  
Meghan grumbled softly, then pounced at her sister and gave her a very tight hug of pure joy and hope.  
  


Nelly just shook her head in silence, knowing full well that it would be a hassle to get everyone back to the previous topic, they would be asking questions again in the morning once the hunters arrived though so she focused on her black winged mate instead, settling down to clean and preen his wings.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Dourbaz_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


The group of former humans, Obsidian angels, and various other creatures, quickly settled down and soon most of them were occupied by one form of grooming or another.  
  


“Ruton, could I...”  
Linnéa's voice trailed off when the old hunter turned to look at her.  
“Hmm?”  
“Would it be okay if I touch your wings?”  
“...”  
“I mean everyone else has someone helping them wash the feathers and preen, it's not fair you have to do it alone.”  
She made a small gesture to the bucket of warm water and soft cloth she had placed on the ground next to her.  
Ruton looked around and true to her words all of the Obsidian had someone caring for their wings, either a lover, or a trusted colleague.  
  


“That would be most appreciated.”  
He nodded and moved his wings slightly to offer her easier access.  
“Just please, be mindful of the mashen.”  
“I know, I have helped wash wings before.”  
“Oh, is that common activity in the pack?”  
“Mhm, everyone takes the time to join in baths and grooming regularly, it helps build the pack bonds.”  
“Indeed it does.”  
Ruton leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees before resting his face in his hands, enjoying the feeling of having someone wash his wings with a damp cloth and faintly scented soap before using another cloth and clean water to make sure there was no trace left of the special soap.  
Her touch was calming as she gently but diligently sifted through his feathers with meticulous care to make sure that every feather was dry and in its proper place.  
  


“♪♫”  
The soft warble spoke of pleasure and hint of arousal that Linnéa recognized from paying attention to Takeshi and Hugin and she instantly pulled her hands back.  
“I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply anything of an intimate nature...”  
Ruton startled slightly at the sudden motion and he was unable to contain a slightly displeased chirp at the loss of the pleasant touch.  
“♪”  
The soft whistle approximating an Obsidian apology pulled at him and he slowly turned slightly and echoed the apology back at her.  
“♪”  
The hint of shame in Ruton's reply had Linnéa looking very confused.  
“I know you meant nothing but to offer comfort and inclusion. It has however been quite some time since I was last touched with such gentle care and open companionship and I find I have missed it more than I believed.”  
“But, aren't you mated?”  
“I am, but my mate and I are going through a bit of a... I believe _Rough Patch_ was the expression your dear alpha used.”  
“Oh, I'm sorry...”  
She looked away for a moment, blushing slightly.  
  


“Don't apologize, you have done nothing wrong.”  
“But I...”  
The way she was growing increasingly distraught confused Ruton quite a bit and he found himself reaching out for her and pulling her into a hug.  
“Calm yourself and speak your mind.”  
She took a few calming breaths as familiar instructions were given by a new voice, in a new language.  
“I made you think of something uncomfortable...”  
“You didn't know.”  
For a while she was silent and Ruton was about to resign himself to doing the rest of his wings himself when she reached out again and continued her work.  
“If you feel like talking about it... I would be honoured to listen.”  
“I think I would enjoy that.”  
He settled down and spread his wings again to make sure she could easily reach and tried to relax under her touch.  
  


With a soft sigh he began telling her about his mate, and about how they had begun to drift apart during the past few years, ever since their youngest had moved out to live with the male who was courting her.  
“You have a broken feather here...”  
He could feel a gentle tug on one of the scapular feathers so he brought his wing around so he could reach back and try to find the feather to examine it and he soon found a feather with a broken shaft, but when he tried to get a good grip on it to pull it out he voiced a somewhat annoyed chirp.  
It was one of those feathers that were really tricky to get a good grip on, and it was a fairly new feather so it was stuck in there pretty good.  
“Could you help me remove it?”  
He turned slightly to Linnéa, choosing to ask her rather than ask one of the other Obsidian.  
  


“I can try, what do I need to do?”  
“It's a young feather so it will take a bit of force to remove it, and I can't get a good grip and angle to do so myself. You need to take a good grip as close to the skin as you can and give it a firm, but quick pull to remove it.”  
“Okay...”  
“And Linn, this **will** hurt so please don't get all distraught if I display pain.”  
“I'll try not to...”  
She steadied herself with a deep breath before taking hold of the damaged feather and giving it a swift yank and much to her relief the feather came out on the first try, though the pained chirp instantly had her apologizing.  
“It's okay, you did well. It would have hurt just as much if not more if I had tried to do it myself.”  
Ruton wasn't entirely surprised at her reaction so he tried to calm her down a bit.  
“...”  
“Can you check to see if there is any bleeding please? It was pretty close to my mashen so it may need a bit more attention than usual.”  
“Of course.”  
She handed him the damaged feather before carefully sifting through the feathers around the spot where she had pulled it.  
“There's just a tiny prick of blood, doesn't look like it's actively bleeding.”  
“That's good.”  
“Do you want me to continue?”  
“Please.”  
  


While allowing Linnéa's touch to calm him he inspected the feather she had pulled, just like all of his feathers it was a deep, pure, black and like the coverts it was symmetrical with a rounded tip and soft and downy at the base.  
It was noticeably smaller though, only the down feathers around the mashen and between the flight feathers were smaller.  
Giving the feather a closer inspection he found that the damage wasn't visibly noticeable while the feather was kept straight and after a bit of consideration he placed the feather inside a hidden compartment in his notebook to keep it safe, he would have something made for Linnéa with it to thank her for taking care of his wings and offering him a sympathetic ear.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Dourbaz_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“How are you feeling?”  
Lucifer gave Takeshi a slight nudge as they watched the pack clear away breakfast and group up to head out to collect more treats.  
“Good, my heat is rising right on schedule, barring anything unforeseen events I won't have any problems staying in full control at least until tomorrow evening.”  
“And what is your plan?”  
“Stay the day, then head back come evening.”  
“Alright, sounds good. I gave Shutei instructions before we left, he will have made sure we are ready to take care of those who won't be joining you.”  
“♫”  
The soft warbling whistle spoke of gratitude and a hint of tension and arousal that revealed a lot about Takeshi's mood, and the focus he was dedicating to making sure they could stay out another day.  
“Your control is as impressive as always.”  
Lucifer huffed softly before walking over to the large net that Hugin, Munin and Relyn were helping Sarah and Maria wrangle.  
  


“Need a hand with that?”  
The offer was paired with a teasing smile.  
“Please!”  
Maria made a frustrated gesture toward the slightly tangled netting.  
“What would you like me to do?”  
“Could you use your size please to hold the net up to make it easier to see what needs to be done to untangle it?”  
“Of course.”  
He offered her a teasing bow before allowing himself to grow.  
“Thanks Uncle Lucy.”  
Maria quickly inspected the net as Lucifer picked it up and soon they were ready to catch more of the large zimara that made the deep lake their home.  
  


“Can we go with Yami and practice some more at catching those jackalopes?”  
Takara was begging her mother for lessons on hunting the fleet-footed prey.  
“My sweet little treasure, you don't have the tails to try to pull one on me.”  
Eriko teased her adopted kit with a smile.  
“Kaa-san!”  
Takara objected to essentially being called a little baby.  
“Oh, so you're not trying to sate your rabbit addiction?”  
“Nuh uh.”  
Takara shook her head with an impish smile, well aware that no one believed her.  
“Okay, but you better share with everyone.”  
“I will.”  
Takara quickly shifted to her fox form and pounced on Yami who whuffed softly at her antics, unbothered by the foxling trying to scamper onto his back.  
  


“I'll go with Yami and Taka to chase rabbits, anyone else want to come?”  
Eriko looked at Takara and Yami with an indulgent smile before looking around to see if anyone was taking her invitation.  
“Fenrir, why don't you go with them, you could use some hunting lessons.”  
Iðunn gave her shared familiar a gentle nudge to make her move to the hunting-party and was rewarded with a huff as the large wolf rose and headed over to Eriko and Yami in a lazy saunter.  
When she reached Yami she greeted him by bumping her head against his chest and licking at his muzzle, the greeting quickly turned into playful mouthing and a few dominance displays from Yami which Fenrir submitted to without much of a fight.  
“I think I'll join them, practice hunting in my feline form.”  
Amber headed over to join Eriko, Takara and the two shadow wolves.  
“Okay, have fun.”  
Emelie nodded before focusing back on what Eric was telling her about the various wild plants he had found while foraging the previous day that he had taken note of to return to pick more.  
“I think I'll join them as well, it's been a long time since I hunted such agile prey in my wolf form.”  
Takeshi shifted with a smile and made a rapid dash toward Yami and knocked him on his haunches and moments later Yami was on his back, tail wagging and front paws batting playfully against Takeshi head.  
Takeshi gave him a quick nip for good measure before shifting back and running his fingers through the thick, and surprisingly soft fur.  
  


“Em, have you decided on what you want to do today?”  
Takeshi kept rough housing a bit with Yami and Fenrir while turning to Emelie to see what she was planning.  
“Yeah, I'll go with my second mate and help forage for the vegetarian options.”  
A quick glance to Lucifer rewarded him with a gentle nod.  
“I will watch over those who chose to hunt zimara.”  
That covered three of the four groups and look at Ruton was answered with another nod.  
“I will watch over those foraging and hunting in the shallows.”  
“I'll join him.”  
Relyn quickly added, knowing that his oaths as a Blood Guard combined with the bond he now had to the pack would help soothe Takeshi's alpha instincts.  
“That sounds good. Let's all have a good day and catch plenty of treats.”  
Takeshi allowed his aura to flare with a wild, slightly challenging edge that instantly put everyone in a somewhat competitive mood.  
  


“Take, is Yami courting Fenrir?”  
Takara started asking questions when they took a break to get something to drink.  
“In a way. He's not after taking her as a mate, he is trying to entice her into allowing him to breed her.”  
“Oh... Why?”  
“Even though he has his own body now he is still connected to me, and when I go into heat, so does he.”  
“Oh, and he wants her to help him sate that heat?”  
“Mhm, but his instincts are somewhat baser than mine, his heat is all about reproduction.”  
“I bet they will have super cute pups.”  
“Indeed, but they may end up being whelps, not pups.”  
“Oh, Fenrir can lay eggs?”  
“We honestly don't know, she is part dragon, part wolf, and part shadow.”  
“But Yami is wolf and shadow, wouldn't that mean they should have pups?”  
“Nah, when demons breed, especially interspecies breeding, the dam's blood is usually dominant to increase the odds of the offspring surviving.”  
“Oh. Okay. I bet they will be just as cute either way.”  
“They will no doubt be as cute as it gets.”  
Takeshi agreed with a chuckle.  
“And if anything like their sire, an energetic pile of trouble.”  
Eriko added with a teasing tone which quickly had the conversation derailed into teasing and mock fighting.  
  


“ _TakeTakeTake!”_  
Takara's eager calls quickly had Takeshi's head popping up from the bushes he was hiding behind to see what she wanted.  
 _“Look what I caught!”_  
She was gently holding one of the jerboa creatures in her jaws, mindful of its long legs and tail to keep it trapped without harming it.  
“Nice catch.”  
Takeshi shifted and took it from her so she would be able to shift and talk herself.  
“They are fun to chase!”  
She was humming with energy while he carefully inspected her catch to make sure she hadn't harmed it in any way.  
“You did well to catch it without hurting it.”  
“Thanks.”  
“Do you want to let it go again?”  
“Mhm.”  
He gave her the creature who was chittering up a storm, quite upset with being chased, caught, drooled on and then examined.  
“Aww, don't be like that.”  
She cooed at it before setting it down and the moment she let go it took off like a bat out of hell.  
“I don't think it liked us very much...”  
The snickering comment was paired with a wide smile as she began listening to see if she could find another one.  
“Might have something to do with all the slobber in it's fur.”  
Takeshi offered a teasing quip which instantly had Takara grumbling and complaining.  
“I don't slobber!”  
“In that case, why don't you bring me a dry one next time?”  
There was a hint of seriousness in Takeshi's tone, if she for instance caught a bird, it didn't matter if she didn't injure it, if she got its feathers all wet it would be in danger when released, at least until it could clean and dry its plumage.  
  


The hunt for the rabbits was soon forgotten in favour for a friendly challenge to see who could catch more of the jerboa creatures, they all agreed that they had to be caught alive, though Takara didn't always manage to catch them unharmed, but those that were not fit to be released were quickly devoured by Yami and Fenrir.  
The two wolves did catch theirs unharmed as well, but once Takeshi had inspected their catch and added them to the tally they gobbled them down with good appetite.  
  


“ _Take!”_  
The somewhat distraught edge of urgency in Takara's tone made Takeshi step through the shadows to her location and he found her with her with her entire arm down a hole and Yami was on his belly next to her, whining sadly.  
“What's wrong Taka?”  
Takeshi quickly kneeled down, concerned that something in the hole had hurt her but she quickly pulled her hand out and in her cupped hand was a tiny pink creature covered in soft pale purple fuzz.  
“Yami and Fenrir have eaten the parents... I wanna try to raise them.”  
Her words triggered another round of soft, apologetic whines and Yami was gently bumping his head against her shoulder.  
“I know you didn't mean to orphan them.”  
Takara patted Yami's head while urging Takeshi to take the tiny pup, little more than a pinky, and definitely not weaned yet.  
He took the tiny creature from her hand and placed it into a fold of his top to keep it safe and warm while watching as she quickly reached in to the hole again and soon she was holding out two more for him which he took and placed next to their sibling.  
“These aren't weaned, they will take a lot of work to care for. Are you sure you're up to that? That you won't get bored or irritated with them when you have to get up in the middle of the night to care for them?”  
“No, I can't promise that. But I can promise I won't shirk my responsibilities.”  
“That's good.”  
“I would appreciate it if someone could help me a bit, but I will take care of them even if no one does.”  
“Don't worry sweetie, I will help you with some feeding so you can sleep properly when needed.”  
Eriko brushed her fingers through her adopted daughter's tails to calm her down while she reached in and brought out more tiny bundles of limbs and fur.  
  


“I think this is the last one.”  
Takara handed him another pup and Takeshi allowed his senses to expand and he could feel the tiny flickers of life that he was holding, and one last flicker from the small burrow.  
“There's one more in there.”  
“Oh okay.”  
She quickly reached in again and carefully moved the nesting material around and after about a minute she felt a tiny warm body and scooped it up and handed it to Takeshi.  
“Will you keep them warm and safe while I make a basket for them?”  
“Of course. And I'll have Hiro bring the spare feeders, hopefully the Mother will be willing to adjust them for these little critters.”  
“Thanks!”  
Takeshi had no doubt that the Avatar of Life would help them, she couldn't promise all the little babies would survive, such was the nature of life, but she would no doubt aid them with the tools needed to give the tiny creatures a chance.  
  


Takeshi watched Takara collect grasses, reeds and a flexible sapling as they returned to the camp, and once back she used a combination of youkai strength and foxfire to turn them into weaving materials, and those quickly turned into a basket with a narrow neck and a simple lid.  
Takara's sudden interest in basket weaving, and the way Hiroto was very interested in something Takeshi was protecting in a hidden fold in his clothes quickly had everyone's attention and once the basket was done Takara began shearing soft hair from one of the rabbits they had caught and after exposing it to her foxfire to ensure there were no parasites or other harmful things in the fur she lined the inside of the small basket with it.  
  


“Oh my god!”  
“They're adorable!”  
The moment Takeshi unfolded the cloth to reveal the precious cargo that Takara had entrusted him the gushing and cooing began.  
“So cute.”  
“They are tiny.”  
“Aww, they're all legs and tails.”  
“How many are there?”  
Takeshi had plenty of experience dealing with the barrage of voices and he quickly singled out Carol's voice and answered her question.  
“It's a nice big litter, 11 of them.”  
“That is a nice litter...”  
“It's gonna be a lot of work looking after them.”  
“They're still nursing, right?”  
“Mhm.”  
He nudged the squirming bundle of limbs slightly to reveal two of the crystal feeders with tiny nipples attached to allow all of them to nurse.  
“Come on Taka, let's place them into that little nest you made.”  
“Okay!”  
A few minutes later everyone was taking turns looking into the basket and the tiny creatures settling in.  
  


“What are these creatures called?”  
Takara turned to Lucifer with an expectant look.  
“In Obsidian they are called ♪♫♫, and the Sand hunters of the Obsidian desert where they came from call them _Rho Khai Dong_. And in Urui they are called _Tangar Djen._ ”  
“Wait, they're called unstable jump?”  
“Mhm... It's more like wobble jumper though. And Rhi Khai Dong means Little jumping tail.”  
The second name had the pack snickering and cooing.  
“And the Obsidian name?”  
“Lightning bush-tail, or Bolt bush-tail.”  
“You're trying to trick me, aren't you?”  
“I'm afraid not. Their extreme agility has given them some interesting names.”  
“Well, I'm not calling them any of those names...”  
Takara glared at Lucifer and squared her shoulders in rejection of the silly names.  
“I'll just call them jerboa like the Human realm ones.”  
“If you want them to be jerboa nestlings then jerboa nestlings they will be.”  
Lucifer just smiled and gave her expressive ears a gentle tweak that made her tails bristle at him, but it didn't last long as a soft, high pitch squeaking was heard from the litter of jerboa creatures.  
It was far above human hearing, but no problem for the enhanced senses of those present and it instantly had most of them back to gushing and cooing.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Dourbaz_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“I guess those who chose to avoid you this heat will have something to entertain them.”  
Lucifer snickered at the eager attention given to the tiny creatures that Takara had decided to try to save, the hunt for food and treats paused as everyone watched the tiny creatures eat and go back to sleep.  
“Indeed, they should be sufficiently distracted.”  
“The caring heart of your chosen family always seems to manage to surprise me.”  
“Oh? Still?”  
“Yeah, it shouldn't, but it does. The contrast between how eagerly they hunt, and kill, for food, and how deeply they feel for a litter of spawns of the very same creatures can be a bit jarring at times.”  
Takeshi just hummed softly, encouraging Lucifer to tell him more about his impressions.  
“Yami and Fenrir both eagerly hunted and consumed the adults, but now, seeing the nestlings, they are practically crying for having orphaned them.”  
“They, like all of us, care about those who are unable to fend for themselves and they are feeling deep regret and sorrow over having taken both the parents.”  
Now it was Lucifer nodding and humming.  
“We do separate between those who are unable to defend themselves and those who are unwilling to though.”  
“So those who chose to be weak, to be defenceless, have made their choice and will need to live with it.”  
“Indeed, as some of my family would say. _Som man bäddar får man ligga_.”  
The way Lucifer snorted at the Swedish expression made it quite clear he understood it.  
  


“Oh, you have picked up Swedish?”  
Takeshi offered a teasing smile with his question.  
“Yeah, since it's the native language of several of your House I took some time to study it, it's been a while since I made use of my ability for language.”  
“Hyper-linguistics is a useful ability.”  
“Very, but you're not too bad at picking up new languages yourself.”  
“Near perfect recall and access to the Dreamscape to give me countless hours of practice in a short amount of time helps. And Kiryu-sama has the hyper-linguistic trait as well as the same near perfect recall and she is usually happy to help.”  
“Of course, I chose you to wield my blade, share my blood, and anchor my soul. Unfortunately that also means making sure to teach and train you to ensure you are able to perform at your fullest.”  
The teasing quip from the dragon who was resting in her usual spot on Takeshi's shoulder made him grumble, and Lucifer laugh.  
“You have been an excellent teacher Kiryu-zitasha. Especially considering how stubborn this particular student can be.”  
The Urui title _Zitasha_ , Broodmother, made Kiryu flinch.  
“Please, don't call me Broodmother, that's a title I can't make claim to.”  
The mood instantly shifted, first to surprise, then a hint of concern, Lucifer knew that Kiryu was old, she was an ancient, and as such she should have laid many clutches of eggs in her lifetime, at least one clutch every 100 years after reaching adult maturity.  
  


“But you're an _Ancient_...”  
Lucifer's confusion made the dragon huff and jump down into Takeshi's lap.  
“I may be old, older than most, but I have never performed the ascension flight...”  
A soft chirp and a rustle running through Lucifer's wings revealed his shock at Kiryu's words.  
The ascension flight was similar to the metamorphosis of a shadeling, it was more than just a rite of passage, it was a transformation, the dragons were secretive of what actually happened during the flight, but it was required for a female to become fertile.  
“My dame was young when she left her flight to seek out a mate of her own, and she found and mated a shadow, but she, like so many others in such a position, was unable to withstand the strain of carrying a shadow hybrid, she laid a single egg and she and my sire both sacrificed themselves to ensure it would have enough life force to hatch.”  
“There was no matriarch to take you through the flight...”  
Lucifer's wings were shivering in agitation as Kiryu continued her story.  
“No, my egg was found and stolen, I was raised a treasure in a menagerie, I learned about the world and once I was old enough, strong enough, I escaped. But I was hunted, they wanted their prized possession back and while trying to stay away from them I met Iza and she crafted me a blade.”  
She continued to tell her story in a hushed voice.  
  


“♪♫”  
With a soft warble that spoke of concern and sympathy Lucifer brushed his fingers over the folded wings, she had remained in the western form that she knew Emelie, Dan and the girls preferred.  
“It's okay, I can still perform the flight if I find a Matriarch that is willing to take me.”  
“If you want to, I can send out runners to spread the word to the flights that an old, powerful female hatched from a stolen egg is seeking a Matriarch to guide her through the ascension flight.”  
“I don't know...”  
Kiryu hesitated before speaking, and quickly fell silent again.  
“My duty is to my chosen, to follow him.”  
When she finally spoke up again Takeshi responded with a somewhat displeased growl at the idea that she would forsake a chance to have offspring of her own just to always be with him.  
  


“Dragons are a matriarchal species, If I perform my ascension flight my dominant traits would awaken.”  
She tried to explain, to talk him out of his objections but was having non of it.  
“I know, but so are Lilim, and Merfolk. Also you are hardly submissive even now. We would find a way, of that I am certain.”  
“....”  
“I would very much like to one day be able to help you raise a clutch of whelps with fire and shadow in their souls.”  
She huffed softly at his words, surrendering in the face of his stubborn care.  
“And would you sire them if I cannot find a worthy consort?”  
“I would be honoured to. And if you ascend soon maybe you could lure Dan into siring your first clutch while we know for sure that he can...”  
“I guess.”  
She quickly turned to Lucifer and accepted his offer to seek out the flights to see if any of the Matriarchs were willing to guide her through the ascension flight.  
  


“How about we see if the girls want to do some more foraging, or if they want to head back early?”  
“Mhm..”  
Lucifer just hummed softly, leaving any decisions about their current outing up to Takeshi, sometimes it felt good to let someone else take charge, to stand down and not have to be the one responsible for everything.  
Being stronger than most placed Lucifer in the position of a leader, but he never did like all the responsibilities, the demands, ruling was a lot of work.  
  


“If you could tear yourself from those little bundles of limbs for a moment please?”  
Takeshi flared his aura slightly and tugged the bonds.  
“Huh?”  
“What's up?”  
Everyone quickly gathered around, including the hunters who had come to care for the dourbaz.  
“I was wondering if you wanted to start heading back now, or if you want to do some more gathering and head back come evening.”  
There was quite a bit of hums and soft conversations before Anne offered her own suggestion.  
“How about we do one more outing for a few hours, then head back to the stable and spend a few hours picking grass before returning?”  
Her suggestion was a middle ground of sorts and Takeshi gave a soft nod.  
“Anyone else with Anne?”  
Alice flared her aura slightly, backing her sister's suggestion.  
“All in favour?”  
Most of the pack flared their auras in acceptance and Takeshi turned his attention to those who didn't.  
“We don't care either way.”  
Munin and Melissa shrugged and the others who hadn't given Anne their vote agreed with them, save for Takara.  
“I'm gonna stay here and watch over my jerboa.”  
“Okay, it's settled then.”  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Dourbaz_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


Takeshi decided to take out his reverse draw crossbow to try to get himself one of the large lizards that grazed the grasslands around the lake.  
They were quite large, about the size of a bison and despite their docile nature they could be very dangerous while they guarded their nesting mounds and young, the powerful crossbow should allow him to take one of the adults down though, it was a type of weapon they were unaccustomed to.  
“May I accompany you?”  
Ruton looked at the crossbow with avid curiosity.  
“Of course.”  
After taking a few deep breaths the old angel began to slowly shrink and shift into a raven.  
“I didn't know you were a shifter.”  
Takeshi smiled and offered his shoulder.  
 _“I am not very good at it so I rarely use the ability.”_  
“You may be a bit slow, but it was an excellent shift. I am sure you could get faster with proper practice.”  
Takeshi barely even noticed the change to the Obsidian language, he was so used to Hugin's frequent shifts, instead he just reached up and brushed his fingers through the small feathers on Ruton's head which made the old hunter click his beak at him.  
It only took a few moments for the slightly defensive display to be replaced by a soft tutting and cooing sound as the feathers began to puff up.  
  


“Ylian, would you join us?”  
With Dan going with Eric to forage and Amanda fishing it left Ylian to join him as the others wouldn't want him to go after potentially dangerous prey without a beta at his side.  
“Of course.”  
“Yami, would you like to stay with Fenrir?”  
Yami's whuffing reply was more of an _Okay_ than a _Yes_ , trying to make it seem more like he was accepting Takeshi's suggestion than actually wanting to stay, but no one bought it.  
“See you all in a couple of hours.”  
“See ya!”  
They gave him a quick wave before going back to their own plans.  
  


Walking away from the camp Takeshi could feel Ylian follow him, then a flicker on the energy of the shadeling and moments later a sleek body brushed against his hip, revealing that Ylian had altered their form into something that looked like how games and movies tended to picture the raptor dinosaurs.  
A sleek, bipedal form with long tail, small front legs and deadly claws, the lack of feathers made Takeshi snicker as he recalled the girls complaining when they had seen the Jurassic Park movies during their many movie nights.  
All of them had complained about how inaccurate the image of the velociraptor was, but they also agreed that the movie ones were much _Cooler_ than the real ones, all agreeing that the version shown in the Jurassic World movies were the best, and the form Ylian was using now was basically a smaller version of those.  
  


“ _I have studied the children of House Shamarai.”_  
Ruton's voice was surprisingly soft as he spoke in the Obsidian language while they made their way to the area where their prey grazed lazily.  
“And what do you think of them? Of my chosen family?”  
 _“They are interesting.”_  
“Spoken like a true elder.”  
Takeshi quipped softly which made Ruton peck at his ear.  
 _“I have watched them hunt, kill and care. I would be honored to train them in the ways of the hunters.”_  
“I had a feeling you would find them acceptable.”  
 _“You have taught them well.”  
_ “I have merely guided them to find what was already there.”  
 _“Still allergic to compliments I see.”  
_ “Shush you feathered fiend.”  
Feeling a strong surge of amusement from Ylian at the exchange made Takeshi huff and give the leathery flank a sharp slap only to pull his hand back with small yelp as an impressive set of razor sharp fangs snapped after his fingers.  
He wasn't actually worried though, he knew Ylian's fangs wouldn't harm him unless the shadeling actually wanted them to, and even then his own shadows would protect him and make him far more resilient than most.  
  


Takeshi carefully selected his target, an older individual with a bad hind leg, it would be vulnerable if the herd was attacked by predators.  
“Ruton, Kiryu, leave my shoulders please so I can aim properly.”  
Both his passengers left him and he raised the powerful crossbow and nocked a bolt tipped with paralytic venom and took aim.  
The moment he fired Ylian exploded from his side and charged toward the target, growing larger as they approached it, causing the other creatures to flee across the open grassland toward a hilled area that would offer a bit of protection.  
Ylian ignored them though and used the impressive claws of their borrowed form to end the life of their prey with a swift slash.  
  


With the hunt completed Ruton returned to his humanoid form and walked with Takeshi to the felled beast.  
“A clean kill Imora-ieri.”  
Ylian returned to their usual form and bowed slightly.  
“Thank you Huntsmaster.”  
Together Takeshi and Ylian quickly field dressed the creature and readied a transportation circle in the grass.  
Once the circled had activated and transported their prey Takeshi turned to Ruton and offered him the creature's venom sack.  
“Thank you.”  
“If you are willing I would be very happy if you would allow me some of the elixir you brew from that.”  
“I will.”  
  


The venom was not particularly potent, but the hunters used it to brew a psychedelic elixir, the glowing purple liquid tasted like green absinthe and was served in a similar manner, unlike absinthe though it was actually a hallucinogen.  
The venom was one of the many ingredients that together gave the elixir a potent psychedelic effect that carried aspects of both mescaline and psilocybin with vivid visual and sometimes auditory hallucinations, Takeshi found the effect to be a calm and pleasant high with a rather intense empathic reaction.  
The elixir gave the hunters a feeling of oneness with each other that was similar to a pack bond, but without forming an actual claim.  
  


Over the years Takeshi had been exposed to pretty much every drug in book, at least those of the Human realm, both natural and synthetic, as a child it was part of his training to build tolerance and recognize if someone was trying to drug him, but as he grew older he had tried quite a few out of curiosity about their recreational effects as well.  
And after his change he had tried pretty much anything and everything to teach his body to handle them, and see if any of them would act like Wolf's bane and allow him to become intoxicated, but he had found that very few Human realm substances affected him, nowadays even Wolf's bane had no lingering effect.  
Demon realm substances for intoxication were more potent, and some, like the Hunter's Elixir actually allowed him to become intoxicated in a natural way without the need to constantly focus on actively suppressing his abilities.  
  


“Would you like a vial of ♫♫ for your heat?”  
Ruton's words made Takeshi's drifting mind snap back to attention and focus on the small vial that the angel had brought out from a hidden pocket.  
The elixir had no name other than its Obsidian name, called only the _Obsidian Hunter's Elixir_ in other languages, the Obsidian name had multiple meanings, the word is self a prime example of the multi frequency language and why it was so hard for others to learn.  
The word ♫♫ was actually 8 words spoken in 4 distinct frequencies divided into a pair of groups, so essentially 4 words spoken at once, all of them with meaning along the lines of unity, belonging and companionship.  
  


“Really?”  
“Don't worry, I have more.”  
“In that case I would like that very much.”  
He accepted the small vial, it was a precious offering, it wasn't hard to make as such, but it took a lot of materials and the process to make it took years.  
The vial of glowing elixir in his hand contained about 5 milliliters and it had probably taken about 20 years to distil, and required several kilos total of the hundred some ingredients.

“Let's return to the others.”  
Ruton and Ylian just nodded then they all shifted and headed back to the camp, gentle winds lending speed to their feathered forms.


	4. Heating Up

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Heating Up_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


By the time Takeshi, Ruton, Ylian and Kiryu made it back to the camp everyone had gathered back and had settled down to wait for them to return.  
  


“Take!”  
“Ylian!”  
“Ruton!”  
They were greeted with eager calls as they landed in the camp.  
“How did the hunt go?”  
“It went well. Take selected a fine Belga and brought it down with great accuracy, and Ylian delivered the killing blow with precision and mercy.”  
Ruton delivered the news of how the hunt had gone with his usual theatrical flair making the girls snicker and ask more questions about the hunt, and their prey.  
  


“Take, will you give the venom sack to the hunters to brew the elixir?”  
Emelie's tone was slightly hopeful, she too enjoyed the effects of the substance.  
“I already have and Ruton gave me a little treat in return.”  
He brought out the small vial and held it up for her to see.  
“Oh, this heat might become very interesting...”  
She quickly turned to Ruton.  
“Huntsmaster, will you permit us to share the Elixir with our chosen family despite them not yet being acknowledged hunters?”  
The elixir was strictly regulated and only hunters were permitted its use without explicit permission from a hunter elder.  
“Yes, they have all proven themselves to have the qualities of a hunter, and I have decided that if they wish to become hunters I will accept their applications. And considering their alpha pair I have no doubt they will pass the hunter's trial.”  
“Thank you Huntsmaster.”  
She gave him a slight bow with her wings folded into a submissive position, showing deference for Ruton's position as Huntsmaster, and relaying her gratitude for his decision to allow the pack to sample the Hunter's Elixir.  
  


“What is that?”  
The glowing liquid had drawn the girls' attention.  
“It's the Obsidian Hunter's Elixir.”  
“And what's that?”  
“Ruton would you care to give them the full explanation?”  
Takeshi would do it himself, but Ruton was better at explaining the history of the elixir and making it sound intriguing, and he knew all those tiny details that Takeshi hadn't learned yet so he would be better able to handle any questions.  
“Of course.”  
Ruton turned to the pack and bid them to gather around, and as they did the other hunters and Blood guards did as well.  
The old angel quickly slipped into his storyteller mode, voice gaining a soft, warm, tone that drew his listeners in as he began telling them about the history, and legends, surrounding the elixir.  
  


“So it's a drug?”  
Eric went straight for the throat of the topic without hesitation, growing up in the more troubled areas of Miami he had seen a lot of the dark sides of drugs.  
“It is, but it has no known negative effects.”  
“How about addiction?”  
“Some do enjoy it perhaps a bit too much and as a result will work quite a bit to obtain it, but I don't know of any cases of true addiction.”  
“So no withdrawal or such things?”  
“None.”  
Ruton was familiar with the terms used as he had once answered the very same questions from Takeshi and Emelie.  
“It also can't really be overdosed, the only effect of an increased dose is a more vivid, and longer lasting effect. For instance, if someone of human size and average power were to consume the entire vial Take has they would experience an intense effect that would last for several weeks.”  
“And how much is a normal dose?”  
“A single drop is sufficient to feel the effects for about two of your hours if consumed, and if applied to the skin it would be less intense, and last about half the time, as well as take longer to work.”  
“The increase in effects isn't purely additive though.”  
Takeshi quickly added, explaining that the duration of the effect was increased more with higher doses, a single dose would last about two hours, but 10 doses taken at once would last more than the expected 20 hours, and the effect would be more intense.  
  


“So there are a lot of doses in that vial...”  
Eric nodded to Takeshi's explanation before turning back to Ruton.  
“A vial like that is usually considered to be about 250 doses.”  
“Damn, that's more than I thought it would be...”  
Eric managed to sound rather confused and impressed at the same time.  
  


“The Elixir must have a very low viscosity to allow for such small drops to form.”  
Angel spoke up, referencing her scientific database for the information about drop formation and factors affecting drop sizes.  
“It's also applied using a very fine micro-capillary needle which allows the extraction of a very small drop from the liquid.”  
Takeshi added his own knowledge to the conversation, this time using a more scientific approach for Angel's benefit.  
“Makes sense.”  
“It's actually a quite interesting design as it uses morphic crystals to ensure that it remains clean, and allows the elixir to be expelled, one tiny drop at a time.”  
The morphic crystals could change between solid and liquid forms when exposed to intent and that allowed the needle to act like a pipette and the energy generated by the crystal ensured that it remained clean and sterile.  
“Perhaps such crystals could be adapted to respond to electric impulses like liquid crystals?”  
“Maybe, it could be very useful if possible, you should explore that while we are here.”  
Giving Angel a task of a scientific nature would hopefully help give her and Bran some opportunity to bond.  
  


“Come on guys, time to break camp.”  
Takeshi flared his aura and everyone could feel the edge of his rising heat, spurring them into working fast and effectively to break camp and make sure they didn't leave anything behind that didn't belong there.  
Things like scraps from the food they had collected were spread out a bit and left for the scavengers though.  
“Are you going to be okay until we get back?”  
Emelie sounded slightly concerned at how much his heat was influencing his aura.  
“Yeah, I'll be fine. I can feel the heat, and it's starting to influence me, but I can still suppress and control it.”  
“Good.”  
“And if I feel my control slipping I can always take it out on one of our betas and shadow travel.”  
“Okay, you do that.”  
She leaned into his side for a moment before getting back to helping Nelly with some final instructions for the hunters that were staying behind to care for the dourbaz.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Heating Up_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“♪!”  
Everyone tried their best to ignore the somewhat distressed chirping from the Obsidian Guard Second as Takeshi pinned him against a tree and brought his aura down on him.  
During their walk toward the stable Takeshi had grown increasingly snippy toward the more dominant members of the Obsidian Guard, as the effects of his heat increased his tolerance for the presence of other alpha types decreased drastically.  
“Amo, would you please release my guard into my care?”  
Lucifer pushed his own dominant nature down and approached Takeshi with his wings in a neutral position.  
The multi-frequency hiss that Takeshi released in response made him take a slight step back and force his energies into a slightly more submissive flow while reaching out and tugging on the bonds he shared with the young alpha.  
He also made sure to reject the guard's aura slightly, to help Takeshi overcome the instincts seeing the guard as competition.  
“♫!”  
There was a sudden cry of surprise and pain as Takeshi bit down on the guard's shoulder, marking him with a flare of power before shoving him into Lucifer's arms.  
“Keep him out of my way.”  
The harsh action and words didn't bother anyone as they were all familiar with the troubles that instincts could cause.  
“Of course.”  
Lucifer nudged the guard to move and he quickly moved away from his lord and the annoyed alpha while carefully trying to appear less dominant.  
  


“Feeling better?”  
Lucifer gave Takeshi's shoulders a gentle rub.  
“Yeah, sorry about that.”  
“Don't worry, he should have known better than acting all protective around an alpha going into heat.”  
Lucifer snickered, clearly amused by the entire spectacle.  
“He's not used to having an alpha around that actually has a claim on you.”  
Takeshi was perfectly aware of the cause of the entire incident, he could probably have resisted the instincts, but he had chosen not to try.  
“Indeed. Though, I'm quite sure you could have resisted.”  
“Yeah, but I didn't feel like it, I rather save my resistance in case some more troublesome urge rears its ugly head.”  
“I had a feeling that was the case.”  
“Even before Ylian began teaching me I was aware of the fact that allowing less troublesome instincts to rise and act on them makes it easier to suppress the ones that could cause serious trouble.”  
“Yi has been good for you.”  
“Yeah, yi has.”  
“Thank you for restraining yourself and only giving him an embarrassing mark, his protectiveness does sometimes get him into trouble, but he is an excellent second to the commander of my guards.”  
“He is your pack, essentially your beta. I wouldn't seriously harm him unless there was no other choice.”  
Takeshi's instincts rebelled slightly at even the suggestion that he would truly hurt one of Lucifer's Blood Guards.  
“I know, but you still held back quite a lot.”  
“...”  
Takeshi didn't answer, instead he resumed his position at the front of the group and started walking again and everyone quickly fell into step, with the scolded guard placing himself at the back of the group, assuming the position of omega to soothe Takeshi's instincts.  
  


They made it to the stables without any further incident, but once there Takeshi's instincts were triggered again, this time by Ruton giving Isabelle a gentle scolding for trying to eat a poisonous bug, it wasn't potent enough to do any real harm, but he scolded her anyway for not asking one of the adults if it was safe to eat.  
He had barely started though before he found himself faced with a very upset alpha as Takeshi's instincts overreacted and responded to Ruton's actions as if he was trying to steal the position of alpha.  
Takeshi knew he was overreacting, but he was somewhat blindsided by the strong reaction and it was a struggle to force it down.  
  


“♫...”  
The soft warble meant to calm an aggressive alpha made Takeshi pause and watch in silence as Ruton carefully lowered himself to the ground, wings low and neck bared.  
“♪...”  
A series of gentle chirps followed, an invitation to claim and it took Takeshi a moment to realize that Ruton was offering himself, his body, to calm his instincts.  
For a moment Takeshi hesitated, then he kneeled down and ran his hands over the large black wings, there was a hint of a shiver, but no rejection or anything negative, just calm acceptance and invitation so he began removing the light armor then the soft tunic and pants.  
Once he had Ruton naked before him he forced himself to focus for a moment and leaned in and nipped at Ruton's ear to get his attention.  
“Are you sure?”  
The action caused a very noticeable shiver in the large wings, and it took a while before the angel responded.  
“♫.”  
The soft trill was confirmation so Takeshi leaned back for a moment to wrangle his instincts into a semblance of control, whistled an Obsidian apology, then unleashed them on Ruton.  
  


What followed was far from gentle, and it wasn't really something Takeshi would feel comfortable with calling sex, it was a way to vent his instincts, it was dominance and submission meant to appease and placate the raging instincts of an alpha.  
He took solace in the fact that Ruton knew what he was doing, knew what he was offering, but parts of him were still objecting to what he was doing.  
Thankfully it didn't take long before his instincts began to settle down, and neither he nor Ruton lasted very long.  
  


“I'm sorry...”  
Takeshi was gently cleaning the deep marks left by his claws and fangs, gingerly pulling out the power that kept them from healing properly, power that would leave permanent marks if he didn't get it all out.  
“♪...”  
The soft trill spoke of exhaustion and pain which only made Takeshi feel even worse and made him once again whistle warbling apologies.  
He continued to work while occasionally voice apologies when cleaning a particularly deep wound, but Ruton's only reply was the occasional chirp of discomfort, at least until he reached the final set of wounds, a few shallow cuts on his left shoulder.  
“Please, it might be a good idea to leave those if I am to train your pack.”  
“Huh?”  
“If you allow the power in those cuts to remain and mark me it should make it easier for you to rein your instincts in if I am to train your pack as hunters.”  
Takeshi remained silent for a moment, considering Ruton's words, he did have a point.  
  


“That does make sense...”  
He conceded after thinking it through.  
“If you are sure you wish to carry such a mark I will leave one.”  
“You are strong, there is no shame in carrying a mark with your power.”  
Takeshi sighed deeply at the somewhat familiar words, then he leaned in and carefully licked at the cuts sealing them and healing them without removing the power.  
“I'm sorry I caused you pain...”  
“No need to be. Despite being in the thrall of your instincts you were quite a considerate lover.”  
Takeshi's low growl made Ruton jerk back in surprise and when he rose quite suddenly and stalked away Ruton couldn't contain the confused and slightly concerned chirps.  
  


“What did I do to upset him?”  
Ruton turned to Emelie, hoping she would be able to shed some light on what had happened.  
“My mate does not wish to acknowledge what just happened as sex, much less the kind shared with a lover.”  
She spoke Urui with an air of formality to try to keep her own emotions under control, with Takeshi's rising heat she was being strongly influenced by him, slipping into a pseudo-heat of her own.  
“This is not my first time in a position like this, it happened a few times in my youth and those incidents were far worse than this. Your mate, despite being ruled by instincts, was able to make sure that I gained pleasure from it as well.”  
“He still loathes the fact that he inflicted pain and marks on you not because you receive pleasure from it, but because he was unable to control himself.”  
“Sometimes you all confuse me...”  
“I know, because we seem so demon, then suddenly react to something in an utterly human way.”  
“It's not just that, it's how strictly you devote yourself to your ideals and honor.”  
“I believe it has become an anchor of sorts for us, there are so many new things, strange things, not only about the Demon realm but about ourselves. We latch on to something familiar to keep ourselves anchored against the storm.”  
“...”  
When Ruton didn't respond she left him to his own devices and walked over to where Takeshi was trying to soothe his own temper by teasing Linnéa, no doubt using his concern and love for her to force himself to regain control.  
  


“Linn are you okay?”  
Emelie completely ignored her soulmate and focused on inspecting Linnéa's aura which earned her a slightly annoyed growl.  
“Yeah, I'm okay. He's a bit annoying but he's not being too pushy about it.”  
“Good, I don't want you to hesitate to tell him off if he becomes too much, and if he still won't back off, let me know.”  
“I will Em.”  
Once she was done with Linnéa Emelie turned to her growling mate with a crooked smile.  
“Oh shush.”  
She flicked him on the nose which instantly had him silent, for a few heartbeats he just looked at her with a somewhat bewildered look on his face, then it morphed into a hungry grin as he pounced at her, making Linnéa yelp as they nearly knocked her over.  
 _“Sexgalningar...”_  
She grumbled and accused them of being sex crazed, but she didn't leave, instead she just moved slightly out of the way and settled down to watch.  
  


Linnéa had found that she really enjoyed watching others have sex, especially males, or those appearing to be male, like Ylian, but she found it very arousing to watch Takeshi with his female lovers as well, but that might just be because it was him.  
Though, she did enjoy watching the others as well, but not nearly as much.  
Emelie and Takeshi had both suggested that she should pay extra attention to Takeshi having sex as his heat came closer to give her a better understanding of how it changed him, though so far as she had noticed was him being a bit more intense and rough.  
She would be lying if she claimed not to be nervous and a bit scared about what to expect, but anticipation was a far stronger feeling.  
Seeing Takeshi with Ruton had made her a bit nervous though, but the young shadelings had really helped her.  
  


.·:*¨¨*:·.-Flashback-.·:*¨¨*:·.  
  


The slight commotion from where the Umarita pack were ambling about drew Linnéa's attention and she noticed Ruton and Takeshi facing off about something and the angel quickly submitted.  
When Takeshi began to strip the kneeling angel her curiosity was piqued, but the unusual roughness made her feel somewhat uneasy.  
“Linn, are you okay?”  
Moe's voice made her jump slightly and blush vividly as she had obviously been caught watching Takeshi and Ruton.  
“I don't know...”  
She had barely spoken before Moe's siblings gathered around as well.  
  


“Want to talk about it?”  
“...”  
“It's okay, we won't tell anyone else if you don't want us to.”  
“Talking about it might help.”  
“And if you have any questions we might be able to answer them.”  
“I guess...”  
She huffed at them while trying to collect her thoughts.  
  


“Is it normal for him to be that violent?”  
“Well, not normal , not really.”  
“But in a situation like this it is.”  
“With his heat so close his instincts are running high.”  
“And when the Huntsmaster scolded little Belle he acted as an alpha would.”  
“And Take didn't like that?”  
“No, he definitely did not.”  
“It made the Huntsmaster register as competition, a potential threat.”  
“Okay, but he submitted right away, so why this..?”  
She made a slight gesture toward the rather rough sex.  
  


“It helps our Para get his instincts back under control.”  
“So Ruton is sacrificing himself to help him get control back?”  
“That's right.”  
“So he won't be like that with me? At least not as long as I don't challenge him?”  
“Indeed.”  
“Don't worry, he will be mindful not to scare you since you are still young and inexperienced.”  
“And he doesn't want to do anything that might scare a young claim away from the pack.”  
“So his instincts being in overdrive will actually help protect me?”  
“You see, you understand this just fine.”  
There was a slight pause as they all watched what was happening, then she could feel their energy shift slightly, become more attentive somehow.  
  


“Linn, may I touch you?”  
Eenie held out their hand toward her with a slightly hesitant look, not wanting to overstep.  
“...”  
Linnéa hesitated for a moment before giving them a soft nod.  
“Okay...”  
The touch was gentle, but sensual and she soon found herself leaning into it as her breathing and pulse grew increasingly labored and somewhat erratic.  
“May we?”  
The others approached slowly and instead of speaking she just reached out for them, pulling them closer and soon they abandoned their forms to make it easier for all of them to touch her.  
  


.·:*¨¨*:·.-End Flashback-.·:*¨¨*:·.  
  


They had all been very careful not to push her too much, or do anything that might set Takeshi off, and as pleasurable as it had been it did leave her in quite the mood.  
And now, watching Takeshi and Emelie having some seriously intense sex drew her in, made her move closer, slowly, carefully, not wanting to risk triggering either of them.  
There was a low growl and slight hiss that made her pause, but before she could pull back and move away the pair turned toward her and moved closer, pulling her into their activities.  
They weren't focused on her though, instead they encouraged her to look closer and learn.  
  


“Linn, he likes it very much when someone gently touches his arms and back, especially with feathers.”  
Emelie offered a bit of information about Takeshi and Linnéa nodded in understanding before focusing on shifting, she had learned to take a form that looked very much like the angels, though she was unable to fly, yet at least.  
Once her shift was done Emelie quickly moved so that she was resting her head in Linnéa's lap, making her blush vividly.  
“It helps take the pressure of my wings.”  
Emelie offered with a smile to calm her down.  
“Oh...”  
Part of her was still whispering doubts, trying to convince her that it was all an elaborate trick, and as much as she didn't want to listen to that voice she sometimes couldn't help it, but it seemed the others noticed every time those doubts began to take hold again.  
  


“Go on, touch him, softly, gently, feel how he reacts.”  
The moment her feathers touched him there was a slight flare of energy that held an edge of warning accompanied by a low growl.  
“Shush!”  
Emelie instantly gave Takeshi's ear a sharp nip.  
“Go on, ignore his grumbling, let him feel your intentions, feel that you are just going to touch him. Show him that you have no intention of interfering with what we are doing.”  
Linnéa nodded and tried to touch Takeshi again and this time there was no growl or warning, just a slight flicker of attention in his aura that quickly settled down into something inviting as she continued to brush her wings over his arms and back.  
At first there wasn't much of a reaction, but then she could feel it, smell it, a strong surge of pleasure and spiking arousal that sent her senses spinning.  
“Wow...”  
“Amazing isn't it, how reactive he can be?”  
Emelie was having a bit of a hard time talking and her peppermint scent was becoming strong enough to make Linnéa's nose itch a bit.  
“Mhm...”  
Before she could say anything more she yelped softly as Takeshi moved to claim his mate.  
  


Due to how small Emelie was compared to Takeshi she more or less vanished under the bulk of his body and Linnéa found herself face to face with him as he moved up to be able to align his body with Emelie's.  
His hooded eyes were darker than she had ever seen them be and there was a deep glow there that left her utterly captivated, then before she could move he moved and his hand came up to pull her in.  
“Please...”  
His voice was strained as he gently licked at her lips, straining himself to ask her permission to do more.  
“...”  
She found herself unable to speak, instead she relaxed against his grip and closed the small distance between them and gave him a kiss that was every bit as soft as the touch of her wings.  
“Hnn...”  
Takeshi's groan was needy, and slightly frustrated which only encouraged her to keep doing what she was doing, trying to tease him further.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Heating Up_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


By the time they made it back to the Obsidian Halls Takeshi's aura was alight with the fire of his heat and the few guards and citizens they came across quickly moved out of the way and focused on reining their auras in to avoid setting him off.  
There were fortunately very few around thanks to the Blood Guards spreading out and going in ahead of them to evacuate the route to the wing of the Obsidian Palace that housed their Obsidian home.  
  


“See you when the heat is over.”  
“Have fun.”  
“Not too much fun!”  
“Make some babies!”  
“Shadelings have spawns, not babies.”  
“The others can have babies.”  
“Yami, you and Fenrir make sure to make some cute pups!”  
  


Lucifer watched the scene before him with a smile, it would seem Takeshi and his family were unable to do anything without it spiraling into teasing and barely restrained chaos.  
It took a while for them to say their goodbyes and split into two groups, but once they did Lucifer moved up to Takeshi and bowed down to him.  
“♫♪♪♫♪♫♫!”  
He spoke his oath of protection in his native tongue, well aware that Takeshi would understand him just fine.  
“I know you will.”  
There was a harsh edge of heat in Takeshi's kiss that set Lucifer's senses on fire, he would have to seek out someone to sate his own desires once they made it to the guest wing that had been prepared for the group he would watch over.  
  


“Let's go. My control won't last much longer and I would like to get behind the barriers while it lasts.”  
Takeshi gently tugged on the bonds with those who had chosen to come with him and they quickly fell in line, not wanting to do anything that could further test his control.  
Lucifer patiently waited until Takeshi had led his group inside the heavy barriers that protected the wing of the palace that was dedicated to the Amiara Yalii and their household, if he tried to leave first it would no doubt trigger Takeshi's instincts.  
Once he felt the barriers close he turned to those who had remained and motioned for them to follow him.  
“Shall we get going?”  
Everyone quickly agreed and fell into step around him.  
  


“Uhm, I thought we were going to stay with the Blood Guard?”  
Amber was clearly a bit confused when Lucifer led them away from the area where the Blood Guard were housed.  
“We are, but their lodgings are ill suited to house so many guests so I had my Majordomo prepare one of the Imperial guest quarters to house both you and my Blood Guard.”  
“Oh, okay...”  
“The Imperial guest quarters are built to house visiting royalty so it has rooms not just for the royal visitors, but a significant number of their household including personal servants and guards.”  
“Does it have a den?”  
“Not usually, but the garden and communal area attached to it has been converted to act as a den.”  
“Okay!”  
Amber instantly perked up and scooped up Isabelle and tossed her into the air before catching her and spinning around.  
  


“Damn, you sure know how to make a guest feel welcome.”  
Bran was looking around with wide eyes, eagerly exploring the garden turned den.  
“There's even fruit baskets...”  
“Oh?”  
Lucifer looked around and found that there were indeed several baskets with fruits spread around the den.  
“Ah, I must thank Shutei, he has outdone himself this time.”  
“Is this shiiza?”  
Bran pointed toward a smaller bowl with silver berries.  
“Indeed it is.”  
On a whim that might just have been spurred by lingering arousal Lucifer leaned in toward Bran and whispered in his ear.  
  


“I would be more than happy to give you some hands-on lessons about the effect of shiiza.”  
He knew from the stories the pack had told him, especially Dan, that Bran had a history of keeping himself with multiple male partners, though he had also heard some of the soft conversations about how the young male was acting now, apparently smitten by Angel.  
“Oh, suffering from blue balls after that kiss Take gave you?”  
“Crude, but accurate.”  
Lucifer laughed at the teasing quip.  
“Though, if you were to accept you would no doubt find that all parts of Obsidian anatomy are black.”  
For a moment Bran just stared at him, his expression curios with hints of amusement.  
“You're serious, aren't you?”  
“I am.”  
Lucifer took a moment to study the male in front of him to read his reactions.  
“I apologize if I overstep, but the way Dan speaks of you has led me to believe that you may be receptive to sharing a bed for no other reason than seeking a mutual release.”  
“No, it's okay. And you're right, I'm usually no stranger to taking temporary lovers, even for just a single night.”  
“Ah, something has happened to alter your habits?”  
When Bran drifted into a contemplative silence Lucifer settled down to observe and wait.  
  


“I think I'm falling in love...”  
“And you wish to be loyal?”  
“It's not that that, I'm just so confused...”  
“Because the one you are falling for isn't male, and not alive in the usual sense...”  
“Yeah...”  
“Well, my invitation stands, but I understand if you don't feel comfortable accepting.”  
Bran looked at him in silence, then broke into a teasing smile.  
“Nah, I may not be out hunting anymore, but I'm not about to refuse such an interesting invitation.”  
“You do understand that you will be the submissive one, right?”  
Lucifer made sure that Bran was aware of what to expect.  
“Yeah, I figured as much, Take explained that alphas rarely allow someone other than another, stronger, alpha to be dominant.”  
“Indeed, though I do allow Take to be dominant since that is the only way I can be with him.”  
“Yeah, he's a total power top... Personally I'm a switch, though I do usually top with temporary partners.”  
The total confusion on Lucifer's face at the unfamiliar terms made Bran laugh, and give his hand a gentle tug.  
“How about I teach you about common terms used in the Human realm about homosexual relationships, and you teach me all about shiiza?”  
The acceptance and invitation was clear.  
“Agreed.”  
Lucifer chuckled before wrapping his wings around the young male, assuming a dominant position and Bran submitted without hesitation, showing an easy trust that left Lucifer slightly surprised.  
“You trust very freely.”  
“Take wouldn't have left us with you without even one of the beta's if he didn't trust you without reservation, and I trust him.”  
“Indeed he wouldn't. But yet, thank you for your trust, I will not betray it.”  
As they moved to the edge of the den area for some privacy there were a few teasing quips, but everyone else did move toward the other end of the area to give them some more privacy.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Heating Up_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


The moment the barriers closed Takeshi flared his aura sharply, making everyone move closer and submit to him.  
“My control is breaking rapidly so those of you who prefer me to be in a bit more control should try to move away a bit and let those who enjoy it rough handle me for now.”  
“Yes alpha.”  
Emelie, Alice and Ylian quickly moved closer as they didn't mind if Takeshi got rough, or downright violent, with them and the others backed away slightly, but remained close enough to watch, and allow Takeshi to feel that they were there.  
  


“Scared?”  
Dan gave Linnéa a gentle nudge.  
“A bit, but not too bad. I know he won't intentionally hurt me or do anything I don't like.”  
“And what about you girls?”  
He shifted his attention to Iðunn and Eir.  
“A bit nervous.”  
“We trust the pack to manage things.”  
“And if we can't?”  
Dan decided to push a bit.  
“We hope it won't come to that.”  
“But if it does we'll accept it.”  
“We went into this knowing that it is a possibility.”  
“So if we can't distract him you'll bed him?”  
Both of them blushed vividly at the topic and Dan was struggling himself, but he wanted to make sure to make them consider things one last time, it was still possible for them to leave while Takeshi was distracted.  
  


“We would try to soothe his instincts without letting things go all the way.”  
“But if we can't, we won't fight him.”  
“We trust he won't hurt us.”  
“And we need to be here for Linn.”  
“You have some serious courage...”  
“...”  
The somewhat uncomfortable silence made Dan huff and ruffle their hair.  
“Pretty damned obvious that the two of you will awaken to be alphas.”  
The change of subject was appreciated and soon the pack were playing games and talking while waiting for Takeshi to be done with his current partners.  
They were having a hard time focusing though as anticipation grew and they were starting to be affected not only by Takeshi's heat, but Emelie's pseudo-heat.  
  


“Yami and Fenrir sure aren't wasting any time...”  
Nelly blushed, and snickered softly as Yami mounted Fenrir for the third time for some very vigorous mating.  
“Yeah, they are definitely hard at work at making sure Fenrir will have cute little babies.”  
Jenna agreed, then fell silent and started looking at the others.  
“Um, guys...”  
“What?”  
“...”  
“Come on Jen, what is it?”  
“Have any of you thought about what Allie said? About being with Take when he...”  
“When he's in his wolf form?”  
Roto supplied with a teasing smile.  
“Yeah...”  
For a moment there was quite a bit of squirming, the Sol spoke up with a brilliant smile.  
“Well I for one will be trying that.”  
The unabashed eagerness that Sol was radiating quickly had everyone relaxed.  
“Of course you are...”  
Linnéa quipped with mock annoyance.  
“I'm thinking about it...”  
Nelly admitted softly and soon a few of the other girls joined her.  
“I think I will, just to understand Meg a bit better.”  
Jenna admitted that she was uncertain about it, but she wanted to do it for her sister's sake.  
“I think I'll wait until after the peak of his heat though, when he's more in control of himself.”  
“Yeah...”  
“That's probably a good idea.”  
“I wonder if he has a knot like a real wolf...”  
Sol's question instantly had everyone dead silent, then after a few moments they all began spluttering while blushing vividly, even Hiroto and Hugin looked somewhat embarrassed by her words despite being demons.  
  


Once they had a moment to collect themselves the group exploded into mock horror and scolding.  
“Sol!”  
“Auntie!”  
“...!”  
“Come on, it's not like you haven't thought about it, right?”  
Another round of embarrassed squawking followed, but eventually most of the girls admitted that they had been considering the anatomic aspect of it.  
They all agreed not to tell Emelie about some of the less than savory sites they had visited to study material regarding sex between human females and canine males.  
“She would kill us...”  
“Can you say lifetime ban from accessing the global network without parental control active?”  
“Don't worry, I think Angel would allow us to bypass it.”  
“Unless Em enforces alpha privileges...”  
“I think she's just too embarrassed to admit she's curious about it.”  
Sol didn't hesitate to continue teasing, she did however promise to keep their confidence.  
  


When Takeshi and the others rejoined the group resting in the garden they could all feel the potent pull of Emelie's pseudo-heat wash over them and light them on fire,·and it only took a moment before Sol carefully approached Takeshi, offering herself to him.  
This time he was too far into his instincts to bother moving away from the group, instead he pounced at Sol and knocked her down into the nearest pile of bedding and pillows to have his way with her.  
  


“Em...”  
Dan complained softly when Emelie crawled into his lap and began nipping at his neck.  
“Don't worry mate, alpha left me well sated.”  
Her choice of words told him she was deep in her instincts.  
“Good riddance, I doubt I can handle both of you being sex crazed.”  
“You will still have to deal with a lot, sorry...”  
“It's okay, it's not your fault that his heat triggers a pseudo-heat in you.”  
She didn't answer him, instead she just curled into his lap and settled down to rest.  
 _“Älskar dig...”_  
He whispered softly into her hair and she hummed softly in response.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Heating Up_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


The pack managed to keep Takeshi occupied and distracted for the full first day of the heat, allowing him to gain a fair amount of control before his sights were set on Linnéa.  
  


“Alpha, please be gentle...”  
Despite pleading for him to be gentle she submitted without hesitation which helped soothe his instincts and allowed him to gain a bit more control.  
“I will try, but I can't promise I'll be able to retain control.”  
“I know...”  
She carefully began trailing kisses along the underside of his jaw, hoping to calm him further with the submissive and somewhat begging gesture.  
The gentle way he was handling her and kissing her was promising, but she could tell he was struggling a bit.  
“May I?”  
His breath against her neck made her shiver in anticipation.  
“Yeah, but please, don't draw blood, not yet...”  
The unspoken promise that he would be allowed her blood later if he just controlled himself did a lot to help his control and he thanked her by gently licking and nipping at the sensitive spots.  
But when he accidentally nipped at the mark Iðunn and Eir had left at the nape of her neck her power objected strongly and she pulled away from him.  
  


“I'm sorry, that felt... I can't...”  
Takeshi was growling in objection to the rejection, but the powerful discomfort in her aura along with the fact that she was still entirely submissive allowed him to regain control again.  
“I'm sorry. I'll try to remember not to touch their mark.”  
“Why don't you focus on your own mark?”  
She offered with a teasing smile that made him lean in and do as she had suggested.  
 _“Utsukushii...”_  
The soft whisper in Japanese made Linnéa blush vividly while Takeshi once again focused on bringing her closer to the edge.  
It didn't take long before Takeshi's control began to slip and he managed to once again scare her, but he did have enough control to pull back and force himself to let go of her.  
  


“Alpha, maybe you should try the elixir? It might help you calm down, and if Linn agrees to taking it as well the enhanced sensitivity of your bonds might help as well.”  
Emelie offered a gentle suggestion, mindful not to further trigger Takeshi's instincts.  
“Maybe...”  
He agreed with a hint of frustration, he was getting increasingly agitated as his inability to control himself was scaring Linnéa, and she could sense his agitation and was blaming herself for it, which only made him more agitated and frustrated.  
“Linn, are you willing to try a drop of the elixir as well? Remember, you don't have to, it will most likely be enough if he takes one, to mellow him out a bit.”  
“Yeah, I really want this and it's frustrating that I keep getting scared...”  
She was on the verge of tears which wreaked havoc on everyone's instincts, not just Takeshi's.  
“Take, the vial please.”  
The pressure from the pack as they radiated a fierce protectiveness helped him focus and bring the small vial out of his shift and hand it to Emelie so she could give them each a dose.  
  


“Wow...”  
Linnéa was in an almost trance like state as the elixir made the world around her come to life with colors and patterns.  
“Is this your aura?”  
She reached out and brushed her hand against the flaming red that surrounded Takeshi's body.  
“It is...”  
He hummed softly as he felt her touch the layer of his aura that rested just over his skin.  
“It's beautiful...”  
Under the influence of the elixir Takeshi's instincts didn't object when Linnéa crawled into his lap to chase the colors she was seeing and soon she was tasting his skin to see if the different colors tasted differently, an endeavor he was more than happy to join her in, chasing colors across her skin.  
  


“Wow, that's hot...”  
Eric whispered, not wanting to distract the pair.  
“Mhm...”  
Dan just hummed in agreement, somewhat distracted by the way Emelie was running her claws though his hair.  
“Kinda makes me wanna be with him like that...”  
“Don't worry, we have a decent amount of the elixir and I'm sure he will be more than willing to let you try it, or if you prefer, have it himself and be with you.”  
Emelie half teased, half reassured Eric before focusing back on watching Takeshi and Linnéa, she had promised to keep an eye on them to make sure things didn't get out of hand while they were under the influence of the elixir.  
“They are seriously stoned...”  
Jackal hummed with a smile.  
“Mhm, but the high doesn't really affect your reasoning all that much. It's a bit hard to explain.”  
“If that's the case then why do they need babysitting?”  
Emelie took a deep breath, sorting her thought to find her words.  
  


“They love each other, and they desire each other, but they both agree it's too early to consider courtship, much less a mating, but under the influence of the elixir their bonds are artificially deepened, and their inhibitions reduced.”  
“So since both of them actually want it they might end up mated?”  
“Mhm, so I'm here to keep an eye on them and step in if it looks like they are about to initiate a bonding.”  
“Makes sense I guess.”  
There was a slight edge in Jackal's voice that told her he wasn't entirely happy with the situation.  
“Not a fan of mind altering substances I take?”  
“No, definitely not.”  
“Would you like to talk about it?”  
“Not really, but I guess I should, if only to explain my feelings to the pack.”  
The others moved closer, showing their support, and interest in what he was about to say.  
  


“A lot of the work we did as mercenaries was centered around the drug trade, locating and shutting down production facilities, taking out drug lords and so on.”  
“So you have seen a lot of the dark and dirty that is the Human realm drug trade.”  
Hiroto spoke softly, acknowledging Jackal's words and urging him to continue.  
“Yeah, it's not pretty so please, don't ask me to go into any more detail...”  
“We won't.”  
“It's not just that though, is it?”  
Hiroto's gentle prodding made Jackal growl at him for a moment before catching himself.  
“No, it's not.”  
When Jackal didn't speak up again Hiroto decided to push a bit more.  
“You have had a personal experience with drugs, haven't you?”  
“...”  
There was a long, tense silence, then Jackal broke down and started telling them about how he and the unit had been drugged on a mission, and how they had all struggled with the lingering effects of the substance that had been forced on them.  
  


“Damn, that's just sick.”  
Dan was hissing and lightning was flickering in his aura.  
“...”  
Amanda was dead silent, no doubt remembering how she had been drugged by Roberts when the bastard tried to sell her and the other girls.  
“Manda?”  
The girls quickly moved in closer.  
“I'm fine. Take made sure we're all fine, safe.”  
“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up bad memories.”  
Jackal's apology just made Amanda shake her head with a smile.  
“No, it's fine, you needed to talk about it.”  
“But you didn't need to be reminded...”  
“I'm fine, I promise.”  
On a whim, no doubt triggered by Emelie's pheromones, Amanda leaned over to Jackal and kissed him.  
“I'm fine. How about we just enjoy the show instead so our beloved alpha doesn't notice our moods?”  
“I guess...”  
Jackal huffed and smiled, then turned to watch Takeshi and Linnéa again.  
  


Takeshi could sense the discomfort of his pack, but his soulmate was projecting calm and a sense of contentment and safety, telling him the pack was in no danger, urging him to focus on the female in his lap instead.  
He was beyond seeing individuals as names, all that existed was the bonds, one of many effects of the elixir.  
After all, what was a name compared to the awareness of a person's entire soul?  
The female in his arms was his, pack, claimed and marked, but she carried another claim as well, but it didn't challenge his own so he ignored it, instead he focused on feeling her, playing with her.  
She was all eager curiosity and smoldering desire, but there was something fragile in her energies that told him to be careful, gentle, to allow her to lead and set the pace.  
He knew of course that her fears were the reason he had taken the elixir, the awareness and knowledge was there it had simply joined by another awareness, an awareness that told him that knowing didn't really matter in the face of feeling.  
  


Linnéa was marveling at the sensations brought on by the elixir, she knew most of it was just in her mind, but she was also aware that some of it was Takeshi's aura, and the bonds they shared.  
It was an odd feeling to be fully aware that she was intoxicated, downright stoned, but somehow her mind was clear, just not caring about the information and thoughts that didn't really matter at the moment.  
Somehow she was aware though that her mind would be clear if something happened.  
After all, there was no reason to think when having sex, right?  
All you needed was to feel.  
She could feel the play of emotions across the pack, especially those who were hers, she was theirs as well, they had marked her, but now she understood the bond better, understood that they were hers just as much as she was theirs.  
The same was true for the powerful, beautiful, alpha beneath her hands, she was his and he was hers, and she wanted more of him.  
  


“How aware are they?”  
Nelly was curious, and slightly concerned about the way Takeshi and Linnéa seemed to be completely lost in each other.  
“They are fully aware, but logical though has stepped back to allow feelings to rule.”  
Ylian explained softly.  
“Should something happen, like for instance an attack they will be fully able to think, and fight, normally. But now, having sex, they don't really need to think so feelings are ruling.”  
“But the thoughts, the logical mind, is still functioning?”  
“Mhm. In a way you could compare it with Hiroto here, usually the logical side, Hiro, is in charge, but the elixir puts the emotional side, Roto, in charge. And like how Hiro is still there and can take control back if needed, and can nudge and remind Roto if he is going too far the logical side is still there, watching, remembering, but letting the emotions run free.”  
Ylian tried to explain it as simply as they could, wanting to ease Nelly's concerns.  
  


“That has to be a bit odd for Take...”  
Her question was not what Ylian had expected, but they answered as best as they could.  
“He complained a bit about it at first, but he soon admitted to enjoying it quite a bit.”  
“I guess that makes sense, to be free, at least temporarily, from struggling with showing his emotions.”  
“You understand him well.”  
“I think...”  
She fell silent for a moment then steadied herself.  
“I think it's similar to my self esteem issues. It's something that developed over years during my childhood that has really held me back...”  
She took another deep breath and forced herself to continue.  
“Take, and the rest of you guys, kept pushing me beyond my doubts, and it was a liberating feeling.”  
“You're still subject to those doubts sometimes though, aren't you.”  
Ylian took the opportunity to ask Nelly a somewhat private question, she had improved a lot since she arrived at the island but they were still a bit concerned about her.  
“Yeah I am, I might never get rid of that completely, but you guys always support me when it happens.”  
“We will always try to be there when you need us.”  
They leaned in and gave her a soft kiss which caused Hugin to voice a soft caw in objection.  
“Oh shush you mottled old crow, I'm not trying to steal your mate.”  
Spurred by the potent energies of the heat and pseudo-heat of their alpha pair Ylian pounced on the angel and kissed him with burning hunger.  
“♫...”  
“That's more like it.”  
Ylian snickered at the somewhat surprised warble that carried sub-harmonics of desire and pleasure.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Heating Up_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“I'm sorry I was such a bother.”  
Takeshi apologized softly to his daughters, but they just blushed and smiled.  
“It's okay, we chose to stay knowing it could happen.”  
“It could have been worse.”  
“Still, it shouldn't have happened at all.”  
“Oh shush.”  
“No more blaming yourself”  
“Like you always say, sometimes instincts get out of hand.”  
“And when they do we deal.”  
Iðunn and Eir echoing his own words back at him made Takeshi huff and focus back on the huge plate of meat he had been served to help replenish what he had spent while under the influence of his instincts.  
  


They made it through the initial stages and peak of the heat without any major incidents, though Iðunn and Eir had both suffered a few kisses, some nips and teasing touches, but the pack had been able to distract him from doing anything more than that.  
It did however confirm that his instincts didn't recognize his twin girls as being of his blood, but as embarrassing as the way of finding out had been it would be valuable knowledge.  
  


For a moment Takeshi focused inward to check his reserves and he found that other than normal hunger his reserves were well topped off, he would have plenty of power to give Ylian for the spawning.  
The rest of his heat wouldn't be much of a drain as it would be more focus on relaxing and having a good time, still focused on sex though, just not as hectic, nor ruled by instincts.  
  


Once he was done eating he rounded the pack up and nudged them into the large pile of bedding that had been laid out and once he was happy with where everyone was he crawled into the middle of the pile, carefully checking each of them to make sure he hadn't left any damage on any of them.  
“Take, now that you are past the peak, there's something I would like to ask you...”  
Jenna was blushing brightly as she crawled across the pile and into Takeshi's lap.  
“What can I do for my Valkyrie?”  
The use of her old code name made Jenna huff at him.  
“I...”  
She fell silent, took a breath and tried again.  
“I was...”  
She blushed even brighter and grumbled in annoyance at her own embarrassment, then leaned in and whispered in his ear.  
Takeshi's eyes blew wide in surprise at her words, then his features morphed into a sinful smile.  
“Would you like to stay here, or find some privacy?”  
“I think...”  
She was breathing rather heavily.  
“I think staying would better help me overcome my inhibitions...”  
“Okay, just don't overdo it.”  
After a moment of consideration he focused on the rest of the pack.  
“Any of you want to leave?”  
They shook their heads, but Emelie, Alice and Ylian looked a bit confused.  
“We have decided we wanna try Take when he's shifted.”  
Sol quipped with a brilliant smile, making Emelie splutter and blush.  
  


“You don't have to stay and watch if it makes you uncomfortable.”  
The pack quickly reassured Emelie, but she refused to leave, taking a page from Jenna's book she insisted that it was better if she watched and learned to handle it, it was after all just a shadow of her human sensibilities, something a succubus really didn't have much need for.  
“Alright, but like I told Jen, don't overdo it.”  
“I won't love. I promise.”  
Takeshi couldn't help grinning like a madman as he turned back to Jenna to give her what she had asked for and as he slowly shifted he could hear her breath hitch and her pulse pick up, but her eyes were dark with desire and her scent and aura alight with anticipation.  
There were hints of trepidation as well, but he could feel those crumble under the force of determination.  
The fact that another one of his lovers strived to accept him regardless of form made Takeshi's instincts soar, and when the scent of Emelie's pheromones shifted from embarrassment to arousal at watching him with Jenna it further soothed him.  
  


By the time Jenna couldn't take any more the other had settled back down to their usual games and conversations, but the moment Takeshi joined them he found himself approached by Dan, Sarah and Maria.

“Take, we couldn't help feeling...”  
“Feeling what?”  
He turned to the three empaths and noted that they were all blushing slightly.  
“Being with Jenna while in your... Uhm...”  
Maria started with a brilliant blush.  
“Not humanoid form.”  
Dan supplied in a rather diplomatic tone, though his aura felt more amused than embarrassed.  
“Yeah, that...”  
Maria nodded quickly.  
“It had a strong effect on your instincts, didn't it?”  
Dan's aura was flickering with concern mixed into the amusement.  
“Of course it did.”  
Takeshi started, then fell silent, unsure how to continue and after a while he gave Ylian a pleading look, hoping the shadeling would once again prove to have the words to explain things and the smile and nod made him breathe a sigh of relief.  
  


“It doesn't matter what form Take wears, he is still the same man, male, our alpha.”  
Most of the pack still looked confused, but they were trying to understand what Ylian was saying.  
“To his instincts rejecting him sexually when he is in another form, at least one that is compatible, is rejecting part of what he is.”  
“Oh...”  
“But we don't...”  
“We're not...”  
“He knows that's not your intention, but still, it's a relief to his instincts to feel fully accepted.”  
“...”  
The contemplative silence was making Takeshi feel rather uncomfortable so he gave the bonds a gentle tug to get their attention.  
“I don't want you to feel obliged in any way to give me this. If you want to try, sure, I would be more than happy to, but I don't want you to push yourself into something you're uncomfortable with just to soothe some pesky instincts that aren't even bothering me.”  
He instantly found himself being reassured that they wouldn't and he carefully sorted through the scents and energies to make sure they were all serious about it.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_Heating Up_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


Come evening the pack found themselves watching their alpha sleep, drained not only from the vigorous activity but the highly emotional nature of those actions as most of the pack had accepted him in his wolf form.  
Sarah and Maria still remained, but that was in accordance with the plans they had agreed on, since both girls were untouched they wanted to wait until after the peak of the heat to allow Takeshi more control.  
Now however, they were eagerly waiting for him to wake up and give them their turn.  
  


“He's so cute like this...”  
Linnéa hummed softly while running her fingers through Takeshi's hair, the pack had been taking turns offering him company and soothing touches while he slept.  
“Indeed, he worries far too much, making seeing him relaxed like this a rare treat.”  
She noticed that Ylian's soft smile made them look younger, and there was something different about them that made them feel more female than before.  
“Ylian, if you don't mind me asking, how come you seem more female now?”  
“I'm preparing to become pana again, and you are picking up on the change in my energies as I prepare to carry young, something that you instinctively associate with feminine traits.”  
“Oh, that simple...”  
“Indeed.”  
Turning back to Fenrir they focused for a moment then pulled their power back.  
“I do believe congratulations are in order, you are indeed carrying.”  
“Oh?! You can tell already?”  
Iðunn and Eir were practically jumping with joy.  
“Can you tell how many?”  
“I can, I can't tell yet if she will carry to term, or lay eggs, but I can clearly sense the life within, all 12 of them.”  
There was a moment of stunned silence before Ylian found themselves the target of all sorts of questions.  
  


“How will she be able to properly nurse that many pups?”  
Nelly sounded seriously concerned.  
“Don't worry, there is enough shadow in both of them for their offspring to not require nursing, at least not at a teat like a mammal, instead they will draw a form of predigested prana from the aura of the parents, much like how shadeling spawns do once they leave the body of the pana.”  
“Phew, good. I would of course have helped her if they needed to nurse, but it's good to know she won't need that kind of help at least.”  
“Always ready to rescue helpless beasts.”  
Takeshi's soft quip made them all startle slightly and everyone was quickly apologizing for getting loud.  
“Don't worry, you didn't wake me. I've been awake for a while.”  
“Were you pretending to sleep so I wouldn't stop playing with your hair?”  
Linnéa accused him with a smile.  
“Guilty as charged.”  
Leaning in she gave him a sweet kiss.  
“I love you.”  
“I know ama.”  
  


“I hope your sleep has left you nice and hungry.”  
Emelie quipped after allowing Takeshi and Linnéa a moment for a very emotional kiss.  
“We made lots of food while you were sleeping.”  
Amanda pointed toward a table piled high with food.  
“How long did I sleep?”  
Takeshi managed to look slightly concerned as it would have taken even the pack quite some time to make all that food.  
“Only about 5 hours. The kitchen did most of the prep work.”  
“That's still longer than I had planned to.”  
“That may be, but it was clearly what you needed.”  
Emelie scolded her mate softly which made him huff and accuse her of mothering him.  
“Oh you better believe I will mother you when you need it.”  
For a moment Takeshi just gave her a mock scandalized look, then he huffed and flipped her the bird which made the pack break down laughing.  
  


“Take, why aren't you wearing the braids we made...”  
Takeshi was about halfway through his second bowl of seafood stew when Maria commented on his hair with a somewhat disappointed tone in her voice.  
“Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't really think much when I shifted so I just went back to my usual form.”  
Like so many other aspects of his appearance his hairstyle was a matter of intent when shifting and being somewhat spent when he shifted he simply went back to his default, with his hair falling loosely around him, kept from tangling from the power that infused it.  
Focusing for a moment he sifted through the memory of his forms and singled out the micro braid style they had made for him a few days prior and started shifting.  
It was quite different from the style of braids he would usually wear, most of the time he wore his hair divided into several braids that came together into one braid at the nape of his neck and fell down to his ankles.  
The braids were a cross between Dutch braids and cornrows, keeping his hair out of his face and giving a slightly strict image.  
  


“Better?”  
“Mhm...”  
“So, are you girls ready to have your night?”  
The teasing quip had Sarah and Maria blushing vividly, but their auras were alight with determination and anticipation.  
“Yeah, we are.”  
  



	5. The River Market

(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The River Market_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


Takeshi found himself being very curious, and eager to see what Sarah and Maria had planned for their night together.  
They had refused to tell him beyond wanting to wait until after the peak, and promising it would be worth the wait.  
  


“Well in that case, care to enlighten your alpha as to what you have planned?”  
“Oh, don't worry.”  
“You'll like it.”  
The way they crawled toward him held all kinds of promises that had him painfully hard in an instant and the food, and company, was instantly forgotten.  
  


“Oh, both of you? Are you sure? As much as I love having the attention of two, or more, of my lovers at once I know I won't be able to give you both the attention you deserve at once.”  
“Don't worry, we have a plan for that.”  
“We will both be present, but we want you to focus on one at a time, the other being there to tease and support.”  
“I see.”  
He grinned widely while letting his gaze drift between them.  
“So, who will go first?”  
His gaze lingered slightly at Sarah, as the firstborn she had always gone first where it mattered but this time she was shaking her head.  
“I may be the firstborn, but I will awaken to be a beta, and my little baby sister will be an alpha if she ever fully awakens.”  
The usual light teasing tone made Takeshi smile, and he nodded in acceptance to their reasoning, honestly he didn't care who went first, all he could think of was their smiles, all wicked and wanton, promising him untold pleasures.  
  


“Don't worry alpha, I can handle you.”  
There was a teasing edge to Maria's reassurance that made Takeshi's smile widen and gain a slightly predatory edge.  
“Oh? You can, can you?”  
Her eyes widened for a moment, taking in every detail of his posture and expression, her senses opening to let her empathic ability feel him, and her aura unfurled to get an even better read on his emotions and intentions.  
Seeing nothing but anticipation and acceptance in her eyes Takeshi began teasing her in earnest, tasting, touching every speck of skin, setting her every nerve ablaze with pleasure, leaving her gasping for air and begging for a release he had no plans of allowing her just yet.  
  


All while he tested Maria's limits with sweet torture Sarah was watching, touching, teasing as well, supporting her sister while also helping him bring her to the edge and keeping her there, the two had no doubt done a good deal of experimenting, and not just on their own, but together to find out what they enjoyed.  
By the time he finally gave in to her begging she was too far gone to be bothered by the pain, instead she fell into the abyss where all that existed was pleasure.  
  


As the rise of the false sun painted the garden in soft pastels Takeshi settled down on his back, one young woman on each arm, curling in to get some rest.  
 _“I love you...”_  
His mind barely registered the soft whisper as sleep was already ruling him.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The River Market_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


When Takeshi woke up he found that Sarah and Maria had left to get cleaned up and eat, and Jackal had taken their place, he could feel his lover's breath against his neck, calm and even in sleep.  
He turned slightly and trailed a few kisses along Jackal's shoulder, waking him up so he could detangle himself and go get cleaned up as well, and eat, he was hungry, and instincts were nagging at him to top of his reserves.  
He could tell his heat was gradually morphing, shifting to focus on breeding, something that would be very useful for becoming para, it would make it easier to synchronize himself with Ylian and give them what they needed to become pana.  
“Morning love, mind letting me up so I can go get cleaned up?”  
“Maybe... But I will anyway."  
Jackal teased softly.  
“Are you hungry?”  
“Starving.”  
Jackal quickly promised he would make sure food was on the table when Takeshi was done getting cleaned up, and no doubt screwing whoever joined him silly.  
  


“Come, join me.”  
Takeshi wasn't surprised to find Miri waiting for him in the bathing area, part of the area had been redesigned to let fresh, cold, water into a separate pool where Miri would be comfortable.  
And as always Marakell was at her side, currently bowing low to ensure his alpha status didn't cause any problems.  
“Marakell, would you wash me before I join the Seer please.”  
Adding a touch of formality and picking a wording somewhere between a question and an order helped both Takeshi's and Marakell's instincts.  
“Of course Alpha, it would be my pleasure.”  
With a smile Marakell allowed his seduction to rise, though, being an incubus his power was less effective on males, even ones like Takeshi who were attracted to males as well, it was somehow connected to the difference in how the male body worked.  
It was the same with the succubi, they had a harder time influencing females.  
  


Marakell gingerly washed Takeshi's hair, mindful not to mess up the fine braids, before moving on to his body and once satisfied he bowed deeply and guided Takeshi to the pool where Miri was waiting for him  
“My precious Miri...”  
Takeshi hummed and shifted into his usual naga form and began curling around her.  
“Alpha, I know you want to stay here and spend a no doubt pleasurable time with me, but you need to go. To ensure optimum outcome you and Ylian need to complete the spawning before the sun sets.”  
Takeshi instantly froze at her words.  
“Thank you Seer.”  
He kissed her softly then hurried back to the edge of the pool and used the shift to dry himself off, he gave Marakell a quick kiss as well, promising to pay him some extra attention to allow him to feed later, then rushed back to the others.  
  


“Back already? I thought you'd spend some time with Miri and Mara to make sure he's properly fed.”  
Emelie looked almost shocked to see him, but he just ignored her and hurried over to Ylian.  
“Miri informed me that we should complete the spawning by sunset to ensure _Optimum outcome_ , whatever that may be.”  
“Ah, we should heed our Seer then.”  
“Indeed, let's grab a quick bite, then go make some babies.”  
Takeshi was grinning like a madman, energy swirling eagerly around him.  
“Pack, hurry and prepare food for our alpha!”  
Emelie flared her aura sharply and ordered the pack to hurry and get the food ready.  
“Yes Alpha!”  
The breakfast plans were slightly altered, forgoing the cooked dishes and rushing out various raw dishes instead, a significant amount of finger foods was also being prepared for Takeshi and Ylian to eat during the day.  
Since they would go into seclusion and raise barriers to ensure nothing distracted them they would need to either bring the food with them or bring it in using the teleportation circle.  
They had already decided that it would be better to have the food with them from the start than to teleport it in as even using the rune-circles would cause disruptions in their energies.  
  


“Come love.”  
Takeshi offered Ylian his hand and pulled them to their feet.  
“See you tonight, or tomorrow.”  
They said their goodbyes to the pack and headed to the small hidden garden that had been prepared for them.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The River Market_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


Stepping inside they found that tables filled with food and protected by stasis fields had been placed in the antechamber.  
“They have put a lot of work into this...”  
Ylian's soft hum made Takeshi pull them closer and trail kisses down their neck.  
“They all wish for you to successfully become pana again.”  
Takeshi could feel Ylian's increasingly nervous energy, they had been the same last time as well.  
“Ami, relax. We've done this before, I'm sure everything will be fine.”  
Turning his attention to the barriers around them Takeshi made sure they were strong, but flexible and would allow the pack to sense them while protecting them from distractions and outside energies.  
  


Once in the garden they found a large pile of furs, blankets and pillows laid out for them and they wasted no time to get naked and settle down in the soft bedding.  
“How about we see how you handle my new power level before we do anything else?”  
“Indeed, you are so much stronger now, I might have a hard time with your full, unrestrained power.”  
“I have better control now though so I shouldn't have any problems restraining it to a level you can handle if needed.”  
Slowly Takeshi began undoing the various seals that kept his true power contained, hidden, and allowed his aura to relax.  
  


“Slow down, please...”  
He instantly halted the rise in power when Ylian gasped at the somewhat sudden increase as he untangled one of the more intricate seals.  
“Sorry, that was a really intricate seal, holding back a significant part of my power, the rest should be smoother.”  
He trailed kisses over his lover's chest and neck, waiting for them to calm down and adapt to the new power level.  
“Just let me know when you are ready to continue.”  
Ylian nodded, focusing on allowing their own aura to flow freely, accepting the slightly uncomfortable heat of Takeshi's power, they knew it would probably stop feeling as hot once all seals had been removed and the powerful aura relaxed.  
“I'm good to go, just please, try not to make any sudden rises. Your power can be quite hot.”  
“I'm sorry.”  
He focused on slowing the release of his power, on spreading it out toward the edges of the warded area, focusing the intensity and heat of it away from Ylian, once all seals were removed he could focus on evening the power out.  
  


It took Takeshi the better part of an hour to unfurl his power and coax it into an even spread inside the barriers.  
“How does it feel?”  
“A bit on the hot side, but not uncomfortably so.”  
“Will you be able use the energy as it is, or do you need me to rein it in and focus it, or restrain it?”  
“No, it's perfect, strong enough to be easy to draw in as much as I can handle but without being overwhelming.”  
“Good.”  
He leaned in and claimed a soft kiss before rising and fetching a cart loaded with a wide selection of food, mostly items you would find on charcuterie, cheese and seafood boards.  
It was items that were easy to eat, and more importantly, easy to feed someone without much effort, Ylian would need to put most of their focus on gathering and condensing, compressing, the energy, leaving them unable to feed themself.  
  


“Are you ready love?”  
Takeshi brushed the hair from Ylian's face and watched their form slowly change from their usual mostly masculine appearance to a more androgynous one, the start to take on mostly female traits such as breasts, defined hips, and female genitalia, this time Takeshi didn't mention it though, knowing that they were more comfortable spawning in a more female body.  
“As ready as I will ever be.”  
“Then let's make some more spawns.”  
He began pushing some of his energy into the shadeling's body, initiating the instinctive process that would make them suck in all the energy they could and push it into the spawning chamber where it would be condensed until they couldn't contain anymore, or Takeshi was unable to spare more power.  
Once at that point the catalyst would be added, shaping the raw power into new life.  
  


Takeshi spent the day talking, teasing and gently touching Ylian, sometimes feeding them, and sometimes just soothing them, he would occasionally go fetch more food, or something to drink, but the warded area was small enough to be fully saturated with his power so it didn't affect Ylian's ability to draw in more power.  
  


“Ami, my reserves are starting to run a bit low, how are you doing?”  
Takeshi could still handle giving a bit more energy away, he was willing to drain himself to the edge if that meant Ylian could get more power to use for the spawning.  
“I'm almost at my limit, just a little bit more.”  
“Okay, that's good, you keep taking as much as you can. Don't worry, I'll let you know if my reserves are getting too low.”  
Ylian just smiled and focused on the energy gathering in the stomach area of their current form, gently manipulating it and focusing on making themself accept more of it.  
It didn't take long before Takeshi noticed the drain on his power stop and looking over to Ylian he found the shadeling smiling softly before raising a slender hand and beckoning in a very enticing manner.  
“Alpha, mate, it is time.”  
Takeshi nodded and focused on bringing Ylian to the edge, to give them the powerful release that would ensure maximum potency of the catalyst.  
  


After pushing Ylian to a powerful release Takeshi allowed them to catch their breath for a bit before gently brushing his aura against the edge of their now incorporeal form to see how they were feeling.  
“Ami?”  
“I'm alright, but the spawns...”  
There was fear in Ylian's voice that made Takeshi move closer again and it took a lot to resist reaching out with his aura to inspect the tiny life flames closer.  
“What's wrong?”  
“I don't know what I did wrong...”  
“Ssh, easy. Talk to me...”  
“It seemed to go so well, there were many, even stronger ones than before...”  
There was a shiver of pain through their form.  
“Most of them shattered...”  
“The energy still formed spawns, I can see the life flames, three large, strong ones just like last time.”  
Takeshi gently soothed Ylian, trying to keep them from becoming too frantic, they needed to be calm for the spawns sake.  
“There is also a significant number of smaller ones, still stable and strong, but not as powerful. I'd say about 50 of them.”  
“I'm sorry, I'm sorry...”  
Ylian was begging, clearly blaming and shaming themself for the power shattering into smaller pieces.  
  


“Easy love, you need to calm down, your energy is upsetting our spawns.”  
Takeshi focused on getting them to calm down, it was not an easy task, but eventually the energy did settle down, but it was still sad, and pained.  
“I think this may be similar to what happened with Sheea, remember, I told you about that?”  
“Mhm, she laid two kinds of eggs...”  
“That's right. And I think that's what's happening here, three true shadeling spawns, and the rest destined to become something else.”  
“Maybe...”  
“I'm sure, but why don't we get ready to leave and we can go see if Miri might help soothe your worries?”  
“Okay...”  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The River Market_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


Once all the seals were in place and Takeshi had his aura back under control he began dismantling the barriers around the small garden, making sure not to take them down too fast, allowing Ylian time to get their energies back under control as well.  
  


“How did it go?”  
The pack instantly approached with questions, but froze as they could sense Ylian's odd mood.  
“Don't worry Pana, this is how it should be. This path has the greatest chance for an ideal outcome.”  
Miri had been waiting for them and she spoke without being asked.  
“I know it will hurt for a while to not have been able to hold on to all of them as they initially formed, but these three are strong and given a chance they will grow up true. Now as for the others, I am not permitted to say much, but I can tell you that they carry the potential to bring you great pride and joy.”  
Everyone could feel the tension bleeding from Ylian's aura and they breathed a collective sigh of relief.  
“Thank you Seer.”  
“You needed to hear this now to calm down, I was not about to risk your spawns just to play the Fate's games.”  
There was a slight gasp of surprise from the demons present, and it was paired with a bit of concerns.  
  


“You defied the Fates for me?”  
“Only a little, I didn't tell you more than they had given me permission to, I merely told it to you faster than they would have preferred, and without making you jump through hoops for it.”  
“Thank you Seer.”  
“You are pack, I will not allow you to suffer or risk your spawns if there's something I can do to help.”  
“...”  
Feeling a strong urge to hug Ylian Takeshi abandoned his own form and borrowed the shadeling's form so he could wrap himself around them, the closest thing to a hug that was possible while they were in their incorporeal form.  
“Come on, let's get Take some proper food, and some blood, so he can replenish his energy and help keep Ylian fed.”  
The pack quickly moved to do as Emelie asked, but there was concern still flowing freely through the bonds.  
“Don't worry Netai, trust in the word of our Seer and focus on caring for your clutch.”  
Emelie carefully reached out with a flicker of her shadow power and brushed it gently against the edge of Ylian's form, trying to reassure them.  
  


Takeshi knew that the following weeks would be tough on the pack if Ylian didn't manage to calm down, they would all feel the need to reassure them, and most would want to do that by hugging and touching, something that wouldn't be possible until after the spawning was completed.  
Hopefully the trip they had planned with Tamalu would help keep everyone distracted.  
  


“Let's eat and go join the others.”  
“Okay...”  
"Ylian, don't worry. Whatever happens, pack stays together.”  
“...”  
“Please, try not to worry too much.”  
“I'll try...”  
  


When the pack returned it didn't take long before Dan, Sarah and Maria were settled next to Ylian, eagerly telling them about various details from the trip to Atlantis, focusing on Sheealia and the eggs she had laid.  
The food didn't last long and soon everyone was back to talking and playing games and Takeshi could tell that his heat was under control and waning so he decided they might as well break their isolation.  
  


“Everyone ready to head out?”  
“Oh, is your heat over already? I thought it would last longer...”  
Eric's confusion made Takeshi shake his head and smile.  
“Not entirely, but it won't be causing any issues anymore.”  
“Oh...”  
Leaning in, Takeshi gently placed a clawed finger under Eric's chin and tilted his face up so he could give him a soft kiss.  
The blush and soft grumbling that followed made Takeshi's smile widen and he couldn't resist coping himself a good feel as he nudged Eric to go join Dan, something that earned him a swat from Leiia, fortunately it was all playful so no claws involved.  
“So, what do you say guys?”  
“♫!”  
Hugin's sharp trill was eager confirmation, the Obsidian equivalent of the Urui expression that the pack runs with its alpha.  
The others were all agreeing as well so the barriers were brought down and they headed to the guest wing where the others were staying, hoping to find them there.  
  


The guest wing was however empty save for a pair of guards and a few servants cleaning and taking care of the garden and various plants.  
The guards quickly informed them that the others were at the River Market to browse the goods.  
“Let's go meet them!”  
Sarah and Maria immediately wanted to go to the market.  
“Admit it, you just wanna see if they have those huge sea scallops.”  
Takeshi just shook his head with a smile at the rapid fire teasing quips.  
“Alright, let's go.”  
Takeshi mock chased them toward the southern part of the Obsidian Palace and once they reached the passage into the city they were joined by a pair of Blood Guards.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The River Market_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


Entering the main area of the Obsidian Halls Takeshi took a moment to appreciate the beauty and sheer wonder of the enormous cavern with it's artificial sun and weather, and the way the magic of the Obsidian mountains distorted space itself, allowing for the caves within to be larger than the mountain itself.  
Still, a lot of the population of the Obsidian Halls didn't live in the cave that was the actual Obsidian Halls, instead they lived along the western slope of the mountains where houses were cut into the mountainside, gardens and farms sprawled out over the fertile grasslands.  
The prevailing winds from the west brought in moisture from the sea and the tall mountains were rich in minerals that were brought out to the plains from the mountains by the rivers, most of the rivers were on the eastern side though.  
Many aspects of the Obsidian Realm geography were manipulated by magic to make the lands far more diverse and fertile than would normally be possible, for instance forcing most of the rivers to form on the eastern side of the mountains mitigated the rain shadow effect, allowing a lush forest to spread between the meandering streams where normally the lands would be arid and inhospitable.  
To the south of the Halls, shielded by a ring of mountains, was the Obsidian desert, a mostly barren stretch of black and purple sand that was home to some rather amazing creatures.  
  


“Take!”  
Eager voices pulled Takeshi from his musings about the Obsidian Realm and he spotted Ani and Looni coming their way at a breakneck speed.  
“Hello girls.”  
He quickly caught the pair and gave them a quick hug before setting them down on the ground.  
“Where are your parents?”  
“Slow!”  
They made a vague gesture in the direction where their home was and Takeshi quickly spotted the two adults, each holding on to an energetic fledgling moving their way.  
“Heading to the River Market?”  
Brenna smiled and gave Takeshi a quick hug.  
“Indeed.”  
“So are we.”  
They quickly agreed to walk together and as the group started moving again attention shifted to the two young fledglings.  
  


“Hello little one, I'm Em, and who might you be?”  
The call that followed instantly had everyone from the Human realm smiling and chuckling as he sounded very much like a laughing kookaburra.  
“Oh my, I do believe we have a little Kookaburra here.”  
“Kooka?”  
He tilted his head in slight confusion, then smiled brightly.  
“Kooka, Kooka, Kooka!”  
Brenna just sighed and Cormo was shaking his head, trying to hide his own smile.  
“I guess we have a name for him now.”  
They were both struggling not to laugh, and their aura's radiated joy.  
“You are skilled at finding names that fit well.”  
Cormo added softly, telling them that they had been spending quite a bit of time trying to find names their youngest liked.  
“I have been lucky that they all like the names of the birds they sound like.”  
Emelie held her hands out for the female fledgling and cooed at her to encourage her to come forward.  
  


“Come one cutie, tell Auntie Em who you are.”  
“♪♪♪.”  
“Hmm...”  
Emelie hummed softly, trying to recall a bird with a similar song.  
“Oh, I know!”  
Linnéa was bubbling with eager energy, but she didn't say anything until Brenna gave her a slight nod to continue.  
“She sounds like a White-rumped Shama.”  
The young angel instantly perked up and looked at Linnéa with her head cocked in a way that practically screamed curiosity.  
“Shama? ♫♪ Shama!”  
“Oh, she definitely liked that.”  
Cormo smiled, then offered Linnéa a slight bow before they were interrupted by a very eager little angel.  
“♫♪♪?”  
“I'm sorry sweetie, I don't understand Obsidian very well.”  
“She wants to know what these Shama look like.”  
Brenna quickly translated her daughters rapid chirps.  
“Oh, okay. Come here.”  
Linnéa motioned for the young angel to come closer.  
  


“It's a small bird with a long tail, their head, back, wings and tail are a beautiful, shimmering black, just like your wings, but their belly and chest is like a burning sunset and they have a big white spot on their rump, and white feathers hidden beneath the black covers of their tails.”  
She chose to describe the male Shama bird as its colors were far more vibrant than the female.  
“♫...”  
This time she didn't need a translation, recognizing the soft trill that translated roughly to cute or pretty.  
“Mhm, really pretty, just like you.”  
The little angel who had just accepted the name Shama quickly turned a few shades darker black before half running, half flying back to her parents.  
“If you don't mind me asking, how long will it be before they can fly?”  
Linnéa was slightly hesitant to ask her question, worried that it was too personal.  
“They still need to molt two more times to get a full complement of feathers, and even then their wings need to mature a bit more. They are both accomplished gliders though.”  
“That's definitely a good start when learning to fly.”  
“Are you a shifter?”  
“♫♪! That's private.  
Brenna instantly scolded Loonie for the somewhat personal question.  
“It's okay,”  
Linnéa just smiled and accepted the question for what it was, the curiosity of a child.>  
“You're right, I'm a shifter, I can show you later.”  
“Okay!”  
  


As they approached western gate there was an increasing amount of activity as the River Market was a popular event.  
Once outside Takeshi couldn't help looking north toward the area where a group of workers were still working on clearing the debris from the collapsed section of the mountainside.  
“Remember love, Uncle Lucy saw her recovered.”  
Emelie gently reminded him that he had saved the young angel.  
“...”  
“They will clear the area and the elemental will reform the mountainside and their homes.”  
“And the artisans will make the furniture and tools they need to replace what was lost.”  
“The hunters help as well by gifting them with some extra meat and furs.”  
Hugin and Ylian quickly continued Emelie's work to soothe Takeshi's mood and draw his attention away from the destruction.  
“Okay Loonie, take a step back so I have plenty of room to shift.”  
Linnéa's words as she moved to uphold her promise to Loonie turned out to be far more effective at distracting him.  
“Okay!”  
The young angel quickly scampered away and turned to watch Linnéa shift.  
  


“Pretty!”  
As soon as Linnéa had completed her shift she was surrounded by four angels wanting a closer look, something that set her instincts on edge.  
“Easy, she has the instincts of an eagle now and you are scaring her a bit.”  
Takeshi intervened and offered her his arm, he had already brought the falconer's glove out of the shift so she didn't hesitate to accept the offer.  
There was quite a bit of undignified flapping though as she wasn't very skilled at taking off from flat ground yet, she preferred staring from a perch of some kind to give her a little boost.  
“Ssh, easy, focus on controlling the instincts.”  
 _“I'm okay.”_  
“That's good, your shift looked really good this time.”  
 _“Thanks...”_  
“Okay you little rascals, you can come closer and have a look now, but keep in mind that her instincts are still close to the surface so no sudden movements and don't be loud or crowd her.”  
Takeshi cautioned the young angels, but he also knew that it would be good practice for Linnéa, learning to deal with the instincts took time, but was a vital part of being a shape-shifter like they were, not all shifters took on the instincts of their borrowed forms.  
  


After a few minutes of inspections and patting Linnéa voiced a sharp call and jumped off Takeshi's arm and quickly rose high above them to escape the inquisitive youngsters.  
“Did we do something wrong?”  
“Nah, she's just not used to being touched so much. She got a bit overwhelmed and needs some space.”  
“Oh, okay.”  
Takeshi watched Linnéa rise rapidly on the strong updrafts along the mountain and soon she was circling high above them.  
“She's good at flying.”  
Loonie sounded somewhat impressed.  
“Indeed, she's really good once she's in the air. But she needs to work on taking off from the ground.”  
“Yeah, that's pretty hard, it's easier if you can jump down from somewhere.”  
A shrill cry from above made Takeshi look back at the spot in the sky and a moment later Linnéa's wings folded slightly and she went into a sharp dive and following her trajectory told him she was heading toward the lake where he could sense the rest of the pack.  
“Where is she going?”  
Loonie's curiosity was effectively overriding her usual shyness.  
“She has spotted the others.”  
“♫!”  
The very eager Obsidian version of _Yay!_ was followed by a series of trills and chirps telling them to hurry up and with a few smiles and headshakes they did pick up the pace a bit and soon they found themselves at the outskirts of the River Market.  
  


As they reached the low stone wall that marked the edge of the market area they spotted Relyn with Linnéa on his arm along with most of the others, Lucifer and Amber weren't there though.  
“Amber is with Uncle Lucy buying fancy pens.”  
Takara supplied before Takeshi had a chance to ask where they were.  
“Thank you Taka.”  
He stepped up to Relyn and brushed his hand over Linnéa's head and back before grabbing the angel and giving him a searing kiss.  
“Oh, still in heat...”  
“Yeah, another day or two, but it won't affect my control.”  
“I don't mind.”  
Relyn smiled brightly and there was a hint of warble under his words that was practically begging for another kiss, and Takeshi was more than happy to give it to him, making Linnéa voice an annoyed squawk as she lost her balance slightly.  
“Oh, sorry Linn, didn't mean to drop my arm like that.”  
Relyn quickly apologized and handed her to Angel instead.  
  


“Your muscle mass has improved.”  
Angel instantly noticed the slight increase in weight when Linnéa landed on her arm and moments later she had given her a quick checkup, confirming that her flight muscles had improved a bit.  
Linnéa voiced a somewhat frustrated sound, then shifted back.  
“I'm sorry Angel, I forgot you can't hear me when I'm shifted.”  
Takeshi ignored the rest of their conversation about Linnéa's physical condition in favor of greeting everyone properly, reapplying scent and power marks making sure no one had tried to infringe on his claims.  
At the same time he explored their aura's and scents, as well as took a drop of blood to reassure himself that they were all healthy and uninjured, soothing alpha instincts.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The River Market_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“Relyn, why is it called the River Market when it's on a lake?”  
Linnéa sounded half amused, half confused as they approached one of the many floating, modular bridges that connected the various boats and small ships on the lake.  
“The market has been around longer than the lake.”  
“Oh?”  
“At first there were just a few small boats that managed to make it upriver from the Western Islands and the Borderlands crossing between them.”  
  


Relyn explained that as the trade route increased in popularity space began to become a premium so they had begun to dig between the two tributaries closest to the Western gate to make more room.  
In time it had turned into a shallow lake with a handful of small islands, and the river downstream had been widened, deepened, and reinforced to allow larger vessels to travel upstream safely, and make sure the seasonal floods wouldn't wash the route away.  
  


“Okay, that makes sense, I guess...”  
“I don't know how it works in the Human realm, but with demon abilities creating a lake or widening a river is fairly easy. Especially if you have Avatars with elemental aspects on your side”  
“We do the same using heavy machinery, explosives, and reinforced concrete, but it's slow and hard work.”  
Linnéa hummed then turned to look at the massive mountains behind them.  
“The Obsidian Mountains, that's an Avatar, isn't it?”  
“It is, she was old when our Lord arrived here, and she chose to stay here, to keep living to help maintain and protect the Obsidian Halls.”  
“I see...”  
For a moment Linnéa seemed to hesitate, then she walked over to where a slightly flat section of Obsidian bedrock met the water of the lake and placed her hands against the deep black surface.  
“Thank you for making this amazing place possible.”  
She murmured softly against the surface before getting up and rejoining the others.  
Quite a few heads turned toward the mountains as a soft rumble was heard and a few loose rocks came tumbling down.  
  


“Was that rumble because of me?”  
Linnéa's concerned tone made the Blood Guard smile at her reassuringly and Ylian moved closer.  
“It was, your words made her happy.”  
Ylian, being an avatar themself, could sense the mood of the ancient one whose body was the Obsidian Halls.  
“Oh...”  
She didn't get time to mull too much on the matter though as the market quickly stole her attention and soon she and the others were moving from one boat to another, eagerly inspecting the wares for sale.  
  


“Aw, look at those cute little chicken things.”  
Linnéa cooed at a fairly large cage with a flock of itiri in.  
“Those are itiri, we have those at the island.”  
Dan smiled and picked up one of the plump birds to give it a closer inspection then he held the energetic creature out for Linnéa so she could have a closer look as well. .  
“They are small but really good egg layers and the meat is delicious.”  
He placed the itiri back in the cage and complimented the demon sitting in the boat for his healthy and plump birds while apologizing that they weren't currently looking to buy any.  
“Maybe some other time?”  
“Maybe, you have some rather beautiful color variations here. We may be interested in acquiring some for breeding.”  
The demon nodded in agreement and Dan nudged Linnéa to move and rejoin the rest of the pack.  
“Come on, lots to see.”  
He quipped and teased, chasing her toward the others.  
  


“Look, it's Amber!”  
Takara eagerly pointed toward one of the small covered boats where Amber just had appeared carrying a small package and moments later one of the cloth panels was pushed to the side and Lucifer and a Blood Guard appeared as well, both carrying packages.  
“Hi guys!”  
Amber rushed over and greeted everyone eagerly, including a searing kiss for Takeshi that left both of them in a slight daze while they regained full control of their instincts.  
“How is my favorite insane alpha feeling?”  
Lucifer waited for Takeshi to recover his wits before greeting him.  
“Very good.”  
Takeshi grabbed the old angel and pulled him in for a kiss that had the bystanders hooting and cheering, again...  
“Still in heat I see.”  
Lucifer's voice held a very pleased hum as he savored the flavor of Takeshi's heat on the kiss.  
“Mhm...Another day to two.”  
“Then perhaps your pack will permit me to steal you away for a bit tonight.”  
“I'm sure they will.”  
“We might if you can keep your hands off him now so we can continue shopping around.”  
Amanda's teasing quip made Lucifer smile and take a step back.  
“I think I can manage that with such a reward at stake.”  
Lucifer didn't hesitate to answer her in kind, teasing softly.  
  


“What did you buy?”  
Takara poked at the package Amber was carrying.  
“Uncle Lucy bought me a nice writing set.”  
Opening the package revealed a small stack of paper, and an oval wooden case.  
“It's beautiful...”  
The case was crafted from emberwood and the end cap sported a Shamarai flower made from some sort of crystal with a slightly metallic shine and on the lid there was a gilded carving that looked a lot like Amber's feline form.  
“It is.”  
Amber opened the case to reveal the contents, a few small inkwells in the bottom of the case, a collection of metal and crystal nibs, and a quill pen made with what looked like a raven tail feather.  
“Everyone should have a good writing set and some quality inks.”  
Lucifer spoke up while patting the package he was carrying which instantly drew the pack's attention to him.  
“I took the liberty of having a set made for each of you a while back, and they have finally been completed. Though, a few of the lids still need to be made since I didn't know your forms.”  
He looked at the new additions to the pack.  
“But the lids can easily be replaced once completed.”  
He brought out one of the sets and showed them the blank lid then opened it and removed the lid to show how easy it was to replace it.  
  


“Those are for us?”  
Linnéa sounded somewhat awed, realizing that handmade items like those had to be valuable.  
“Like I said, everyone needs a good writing set and while your pens are really useful they are not always suited for use here.”  
“But those have to be really valuable, that's even one of your feathers, isn't it?”  
“They are, and it is. But just like your alpha I am a very wealthy male so a few items like these isn't a big deal for me, and I'm more than happy to sacrifice a handful of feathers that my power allows me to regrow in an instant should I need them.”  
“Still, it had to hurt to pull them...”  
“It did, but again, worth it.”  
He closed up the case and put it back in the package and handed the package to a palace servant who quickly took it, and the one the Blood Guard was holding and hurried away toward the palace.  
“How about you forget about that and focus on looking at all the things they have for sale?”  
“Maniac..”  
She grumbled softly, but did do as asked, though that was more a case of being distracted than actually obeying.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The River Market_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“Wow, these are beautiful...”  
Linnéa was practically gushing over a display showcasing the work of a bladesmith, focusing on a selection of wicked looking blades that were curved like the talon of a raptor or claw of a cat.  
“Oh, karambits. Those are extremely deadly if you know how to fight with them, and quite suitable for speed and agility type fighters.”  
Jackal quickly asked to handle one of the slender blades and the demon managing the small floating shop nodded, he carefully selected one of the longer blades with a wicked curve and slightly crystalline appearance.  
“Ooh, well balanced, light enough to be easy to handle, and heavy enough to feel nice and stable.”  
He twirled the blade a bit and shifted the grip, then looked around.  
“Could I get some room so I can move a bit?”  
The market visitors closest to him quickly moved back and formed a semicircle around him and the pack.  
Jackal centered himself for a moment and turned to face Takeshi with a slightly questioning look and a beckoning motion with his hand.  
Takeshi nodded with a smile and stepped into the cleared space and gave Jackal a slight bow before assuming his usual lazy stance.  
Jackal returned the bow and took his own base stance, which was quite a bit more obvious than Takeshi's and with a nearly imperceptible nod they began circling each other, but that only lasted for a moment before Jackal began lashing out with the blade.  
Takeshi just played it defensively, allowing Jackal to use his body as a training dummy to test how well the length and curve of the blade worked with his personal style.  
  


“I like it!”  
Jackal was grinning widely with a slightly maniacal edge as he forced himself to calm down again before turning to the demon storekeeper.  
“This blade, how much would it cost me? And would it be possible to have a twin made?”  
“30 measures for the blade, and another 50 to make a twin for it.”  
“Uhm, Angel, could you translate that into a currency I understand?”  
Jackal had been studying the local currency a bit, but he had been rather distracted.  
“A measure is 1.9 grams so 30 measures is 57 grams, slightly less than two troy ounce.”  
“So about five grand then.”  
“Roughly. And 80 measures would be a total of 152 grams, or roughly 4.9 troy ounce.”  
“Awesome, thanks Angel.”  
Jackal quickly dug through his pockets and moments later he held up five plain gold rounds.  
“I'm not entirely sure myself, but I trust Angel's math as being perfect, if she says 80 measures is almost 5 of these coins then I believe her.”  
The trader gave Lucifer a slight glance, and he nodded.  
“They are honest and Angel can calculate things most of us couldn't even dream off.”  
“Five troy ounce is about 81,8 measures.”  
“I'm not sure I understand, 81 point 8?”  
“Oh sorry, I am somewhat unfamiliar with how to properly translate some terms into Urui. It means 81 and 8 tenths.”  
“Ah, 81 measures and 8 grain.”  
“A grain is 1 tenth of a measure?”  
“It is.”  
“Thank you, I will make sure to remember that.”  
Angel thanked the storekeeper then apologized for the distraction.  
  


“We have a deal then.”  
The storekeeper nodded and began to dig in his purse for change for the rounds Jackal had offered.  
“Nah, no need for change. Instead would it be possible to add a design like this?”  
He quickly showed the storekeeper his ankh and suggested how he would like it to be displayed on the handle of the blade.  
“On both sides?”  
“Ideally.”  
“That can be done.”  
“Great!”  
He quickly turned to the pack and held out his ankh.  
“Could one of you guys make a copy of this please?”  
“I'll do it.”  
Julia quickly offered so he gave her the pendant and watched as she made a perfect copy of it using a small piece of her crystal clay.  
“Thanks, you are really good at that...”  
He praised the detail of the copy before handing it to the storekeeper who took it and put it in a small box along with the blade and the gold before asking about Jackal's name and delivery details.  
  


“What about you Linn, do you want one, or a pair?”  
Takeshi nudged Linnéa's attention back toward the blades still on display.  
“I don't know, I feel drawn to them but I think I wanna practice with one before I consider buying something fancy like this...”  
“That's good thinking.”  
He quickly turned to the storekeeper and asked if he carried any simple version of the curved blades that were suitable for someone learning how to use them.  
“I'm sorry, but I can make some when I get back home and have them delivered.”  
“That sounds good, your price?”  
“Depends on how you would like them made.”  
“What matters is the shape, balance and weight. Shaped, but not sharpened, material doesn't really matter as long as the weight is close to what you could expect of a blade like those.”  
The storekeeper nodded and hummed for a bit.  
“I can make a pair for one measure.”  
“Sounds good.”  
He quickly turned to the pack and checked if anyone else wanted to try the curved blades and before long several hands were up.  
“How about we make it 15 pairs for one of our coins? That's 16 measures and just over three grain.”  
“Agreed, but I will require some time to complete them.”  
“Of course, we will be traveling a lot so if you could just have it delivered for House Shamarai at the Obsidian Palace at your convenience.”  
They quickly agreed on the details and Takeshi thanked the storekeeper before guiding the back down along the floating bridge to inspect the wares for sale.  
  


“Iera, shine your horns for a tama grain?”  
The familiar offer made by a demoness carrying a box and a simple stool made Emelie pause for a moment, recalling the young demoness that had given her the same offer before her presentation.  
“Don't mind if I do, but please, go easy with the pigment.”  
“Of course, you have beautiful horns, it would be a shame to dull that lovely color and transparency with pigments.”  
“Why don't you guys keep going and I'll catch up to you.”  
Emelie gave the rest of the pack a bit of a nudge, she didn't want to make them wait around while she enjoyed a bit of pampering.  
“...”  
Takeshi's instincts were objecting a bit, but when Relyn and one of his colleagues offered to stay with her he nodded and nudged the others to keep moving.  
  


When Emelie rejoined them they had made it to one of the islands in the lake and were resting in the shade of a pair of the large trees that looked like weeping willows.  
“Come on newbies, there's someone I would like you to meet.”  
Emelie began dragging the new additions to their group towards the far end of the market and Takeshi sighed deeply.  
“What's going on?”  
“Where are we going?”  
“The March Witches...”  
Takeshi huffed in exasperation.  
“Oh, you don't sound very happy about that...”  
Sol was beaming with curiosity.  
“They can be a bit...”  
“Of a royal pain in the ass...”  
Dan piped in when Takeshi's voice trailed off making everyone laugh.  
“At least if you happen to be male...”  
Munin grumbled and Hugin quickly agreed.  
  


“That doesn't sound very good...”  
“Definitely not.”  
“Sounds like trouble...”  
Bran, Eric and Jackal were all looking rather nervous at the prospect of meeting someone who elicited such a reaction from the other males of the group  
“Indeed, they are quite special and males are advised to stay clear of their ship.”  
Lucifer nodded in agreement and the male Blood Guards made a few faces telling them they were not eager to meet the witches.  
“Don't worry, I was only planning to bring Jackal, Manda, Sol and the girls. I think Eric and Bran could use some more time getting used to the, unless of course anyone else wants to come.”  
“No thanks, I'll pass, they are a bit too insane for my taste.”  
“Mhm, bag of cats the lot of them.”  
The females of the pack were not very eager either, but they did agree that Jackal, Iðunn, Eir, Linnéa and Sol should go meet with them once at least, their skill at telling if someone possessed magical talent, and divining what their affinity was, was legendary.  
“Bet Sol will love them.”  
“They will probably get along just fine.”  
“You calling me a witch?”  
Sol mock complained.  
“Mhm.”  
Dan just grinned and nodded which made Sol break into a wide smile.  
“Thanks!”  
  


“I will join them, the witches may have some insight for me.”  
Takeshi wasn't surprised that Ylian wanted to have a word with the witches, hoping they might be able to tell them something about the spawns.  
“Alright, but please be careful, as much as they honor mothers, and as such, pana, they can still be a stressful pain in the ass.”  
“Don't worry I will.”  
“I'll make sure they don't harass my dear netai too much.”  
Emelie offered a teasing smile, but her promise was dead serious, she wouldn't hesitate to kill if necessary to protect Ylian and the spawns they were now carrying.  
“Thank you love.”  
Takeshi gave her a tight hug and a kiss before grabbing her tail and giving it a nip.  
“Tease...”  
She grumbled softly and promised revenge which only made Takeshi smile.  
  


As they reached the far end of the market where the March Witches had their vessel set up there was a bit of a scene as Yami did not feel comfortable with Fenrir going there as she was carrying.  
“Don't worry Yami, they have a deep respect for mothers.”  
“Fenrir carrying only means she will be treated like royalty.”  
Even with their reassurances Yami wouldn't settle down.  
“I do believe your alpha instincts are re-awakening.”  
Takeshi hummed softly as he kneeled down beside the large wolf and tweaked the soft ears..  
“She may not be your mate, but she is pack and she is carrying your offspring, you should listen to your instincts and stay by her side.”  
The soft, slightly confused whine made Takeshi smile, Yami was clearly torn between wanting to stay close to Fenrir and wanting to stay close to him, and the hell away from the March Witches.  
“Go on, follow your instinct to protect.”  
Takeshi gave Yami a slightly teasing nudge and was rewarded with a slight growl as hesitation gave way to a hint of frustrated annoyance, then acceptance.  
“Have fun girls.”  
Takeshi waved as they entered the witches' boat and the moment they were gone he ushered the others back toward the bladesmith.  
  


Once at the small weapon stall Takeshi quickly went for the pair of curved blades that Linnéa had been looking at, pleased to find that no one had bought them.  
“Ah, good, you haven't sold them yet.”  
“Oh, she changed her mind?”  
“She doesn't know I'm buying them.”  
He picked up the blades and took a closer look at how the slightly crystalline structure shimmered gold and green against the black base metal.  
“It never hurts to have a stockpile of gifts that you know will be appreciated.”  
The soft quip made the storekeeper laugh and agree and soon Takeshi made a simple box vanish into his shift.  
“Come on, let's head to that small park and wait for the others.”  
Takeshi nudged the pack back toward the island where they had been waiting while Emelie had her horns polished.  
“We want more food!”  
No one batted an eye when Sarah and Maria demanded they go collect some food and various snacks to entertain themselves with while they waited.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The River Market_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“Welcome Miri-yema.”  
“We had a feeling we would be seeing you.”  
The witches greeted Emelie with sly smiles.  
“No doubt a few birds from the Palace whispered that we were here, and had newcomers in the pack.”  
“Aw, you're no fun.”  
The witches all complained when Emelie didn't bother with their theatrics but they soon fell silent in favor of focusing on Ylian and Fenrir.  
“Ah, a pair of pana, such a delightful treat.”  
Before they could reach Ylian they found themselves face to face with Emelie in all her succubus glory.  
“You will mind yourself around them, both have just conceived and I will not stand for you doing anything that may stress them or in any way put their spawns at risk.”  
A rather fierce growl at her side made it quite clear that Yami agreed with every word she had just said.  
“Oh my, such protective alphas.”  
“Let us have a look at those girls while these grumpy alphas calm down.”  
The witches turned their attention to a somewhat squirming Linnéa.  
  


“Let's see what we have here.”  
Linnéa tried to keep still, but ended up squirming and blushing at the way they were inspecting her.  
“A fine young beta.”  
“You definitely have magic in your soul.”  
Linnéa instantly stilled as her focus shifted to pay attention to what the witch who has spoken had to say about that magic.  
“It is bright and wild, but if tempered by control it can become a formidable force.”  
The other witches nodded in agreement before one of them spoke up, continuing the assessment of Linnéa.  
“The temperament of your power is well suited to weaving enchantments to enhance objects.”  
“You mean like making those clothes that don't stain?”  
Linnéa loved the enchanted cloth that was popular for making demonic clothing, especially more heavy duty items such as work-clothes.  
“Among other things, but as wild as your power is it would be better suited for things like weapons.”  
“Oh, cool!”  
The witches just snickered then shifted their focus to Iðunn and Eir.  
  


“Twin alphas, not something you see very often.”  
“You have plenty of power, just like your sire.”  
“But it's a power ill suited to the arts of magic.”  
“Oh, so what is it suited for?”  
“Your power, like the power of most alphas, is best suited to protect.”  
“Makes sense I guess.”  
“But we can sense that you both have a strong affinity for working with your hands, for crafting.”  
“We believe that you would do well working side by side with your beta.”  
“As in we make the items and she enchants them?”  
Iðunn quickly took what the witches had said and moved further.  
“Exactly!”  
“You have clearly inherited your sire's sharp mind as well.”  
“What about Fenrir's pups, or spawns or whatever they will be?”  
Eir was curious to learn what the witches had to say about their familiar.  
“They are definitely spawns, and even now we can tell their affinity is toward protection and forming bonds.”  
“So they will make good companions?”  
“They will.”  
“What about Auntie Sol?”  
Linnéa was curios to hear what they had to say about Sol.  
  


“There is plenty of power here, but most of it is bound to Realm Walking.”  
“But I will be able to do other things?”  
“You will, but only minor things.”  
“Like?”  
“Your power is not showing any affinity beyond Realm Walking.”  
“So you can't really tell?”  
“It's more like it's open to anything.”  
“Oh, that sounds interesting.”  
“It is, if you are willing we would love to teach you a few tricks.”  
“Oh count me in, assuming of course there isn't a price I can't agree to.”  
“I think we can find a suitable agreement.”  
“But first, we have a young male, and a pana to talk to.”  
Jackal's assessment was quickly over, and hearing that his affinity laid toward protection, fighting and stealth was no surprise.  
“Come on, let's give Ylian some privacy shall we?”  
Emelie nudged the others toward the front of the boat where a wide range of tools and trinkets were for sale.  
  


“You are concerned about having two distinctly different kinds of spawns, correct?”  
The witches had turned serious, not wanting to do anything to upset a pana who had just conceived.  
“Yeah... Their para has some suspicions but I was hoping for a second opinion, for confirmation.”  
“It's good to see a strong shadeling who is also a caring pana.”  
“I believe my older spawns have inherited those traits from me and their para, and I hope that these will as well.”  
“I have no doubt they will.”  
“And I can see that those three larger ones possess great potential, they will no doubt make it to the age of metamorphosis.”  
“The others, they are like the spawns of your fellow pana, lesser creatures compared to yourself, but they will be fierce protectors and devoted companions.”  
“Just like their para said.”  
Getting confirmation of Takeshi's theory allowed Ylian to finally relax, as much as they trusted him they had still been worried.  
“Thank you for confirming this.”  
“Oh it's our pleasure to help those who carry the next generation.”  
“Go on, go join your pack.”  
“Your young alpha is starting to get worried.”  
The witches urged them to go join the rest of the pack and Ylian was more than happy to be out of there, the March witches always made them nervous.  
  


Emelie carefully tested Ylian's energy when they approached and was pleased to find them relaxed.  
“Netai, good to see you calmer.”  
“Thanks alpha.”  
“Sol, try not to take too long, I want to get back to Take and the others as soon as possible.”  
“I won't.”  
Sol hurried over to the witches, but about halfway there she paused for a moment and turned to Linnéa.  
“Linn, you make sure to buy a few things to play around with.”  
“Yes Auntie, I will...”  
Linnéa sighed deeply and turned back to the items on display, trying to see if there were any form of price tags anywhere.  
“Linn, what have we said about worrying about prices?”  
Emelie scolded gently.  
“Don't...”  
The familiar sigh made her smile widely at Linnéa.  
“Indeed, we will tell you if something is too expensive.”  
As promised Sol returned a few minutes later with a pleased smile that told Emelie her negotiations had been fruitful.  
  


(¯`·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.,-(_The River Market_)-,.-~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)  
  


“I think it's time for us to head back and get some rest, we have an early morning tomorrow.”  
Takeshi gave the pack a gentle nudge, they had already seen everything at the market at least twice so he didn't expect there to be too much resistance.  
“Okay.”  
“Can we drop by that blue boat selling perfume wood items? I think I'll buy some of those beads if they have any left.”  
Carol's question triggered a bunch of similar requests and they quickly split the pack into two groups and headed back, making sure to go by each of the requested sellers on the way.  
  


“Uncle Lucy, will you stay with us tonight?”  
Takara's question may have sounded innocent enough, but her smile was anything but.  
“I was planning to seize the opportunity to have a taste of your alpha while he's still in heat, unless someone has any objections.”  
“Nah, we don't mind.”  
“You have your fun.”  
“Can I watch?”  
Linnéa's question made the others smile and tease.  
“Of course you can. As far as I'm concerned you're welcome to join as well.”  
Linnéa instantly went pure red and spluttered incoherently.  
“I actually rather watch... At least for now...”  
“Not feeling confident in being with two males at once?”  
“No...”  
“It's okay, there will be plenty of willing males, me included, should you wish to try it someday.”  
“Perv...”  
“How is it you humans say, the pot calling the kettle black?”  
Lucifer quipped back without missing a beat.  
  


Once back in their wing they made food, then settled down in the garden as usual and soon Takeshi was having his way with a very eager Lucifer who was more than happy to submit and allow Takeshi to take him in the way of the Obsidian angels despite Relyn being there.  
“It's a bit strange to see my Lord submit so eagerly, but I can understand why he does it...”  
Relyn was watching the pair with a hint of longing.  
“Yeah, we are blessed with an alpha who is a very generous and diligent lover.”  
“And pretty well equipped too... Must be tough for someone to have him as their first...”  
“It is, but it's worth it.”  
Everyone who had Takeshi as their first partner agreed wholeheartedly that the initial discomfort and worry had been worth it in the end.  
“And he can use his shift to make it easier if needed, but he prefers not to.”  
“He says it gives them a sense of accomplishment to have handled him, and demons tend to be well endowed anyway.”  
Relyn listened to the pack talking about their alpha, and from what he knew of the male it did sound like things he would say or do.  
“That does sound like him.”  
“My my, are you falling for our alpha?”  
Emelie teased with a wide smile.  
“With the simiriwi pulling at me it's hard not to, but I think I would have anyway.”  
“Ah, so I might be calling you Netao some day?”  
“Perhaps one day, but I don't think I could handle a long distance mating, and I will not abandon my oath to the Blood Guard.”  
“Maybe as a second mate someday?”  
“Maybe...”  
Relyn agreed softly, drifting off into his own thoughts.  
“I do think we will be co-mates one day.”  
Emelie settled behind Relyn and began gently sifting through the feathers of his wings, offering him calm support and putting as much alpha presence into it as she was able to.  
  



End file.
